{"id":100459,"date":"2020-10-29T18:36:49","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T15:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/tunisia-imposes-tough-new-virus-restrictions\/"},"modified":"2020-10-29T18:36:49","modified_gmt":"2020-10-29T15:36:49","slug":"tunisia-imposes-tough-new-virus-restrictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tunisia-imposes-tough-new-virus-restrictions\/","title":{"rendered":"#Tunisia imposes tough new virus restrictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Tunisia imposes tough new virus restrictions<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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Tunisia said on Thursday it was imposing a nationwide night-time curfew, shutting schools and banning inter-region travel<\/a> in a bid to halt a resurgence of the novel coronavirus.\n <\/p>\n

Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi called on “all governorates to declare a curfew” from 8:00 pm until 5:00 am on weekdays and starting one hour earlier on weekends.<\/p>\n

His statement did not say how long the lockdown would remain in place.<\/p>\n

Tunisia had imposed strict lockdown measures that practically smothered its first wave of cases over the summer.<\/p>\n

But since it re-opened its borders in June, infections have mounted to more than 1,000 cases a day, overwhelming understaffed and poorly equipped hospitals.<\/p>\n

The country recorded 2,125 cases at the weekend, bringing the total to 54,278 infections, including 1,153 deaths.<\/p>\n

In early October, curfews were reimposed on several regions, and a week later in the Greater Tunis area.<\/p>\n

Mechichi said the new restrictions on movement between governorates would exclude work-related travel and exceptional circumstances.<\/p>\n

Under the latest measures, school classes would be suspended until November 8, while university students would have online lessons for two weeks.<\/p>\n

Cafes and restaurants are to shut from 4:00 pm, and gatherings of more than four people are banned in public spaces, excluding on public transport.<\/p>\n

Access will be denied to places of worship for two weeks.<\/p>\n

Ilyes Jlassi, who is 23 years old and unemployed, said the new measures were “unavoidable”, but now his “hope of getting a job is almost nil given the economic situation”. <\/p>\n

Abed Kader, 63, owns a shop in the capital Tunis and told AFP that “the decisions on a night-time curfew will further increase our losses”. <\/p>\n

Algeria warns of ‘laxity’<\/b><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, authorities warned the situation in the country had become “very dangerous”, especially since so many COVID-19 patients were requiring hospitalisation.<\/p>\n

The health ministry said it had already provided another 350 intensive care beds and was working to increase this number to 1,000 by the month’s end.<\/p>\n

In neighbouring Algeria, case numbers are also on the rise, with more than 57,000 infections and nearly 2,000 deaths recorded. <\/p>\n

Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad criticised a “laxity” in the population’s adherence to anti-virus measures.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was transferred to a hospital in Germany to undergo “medical examinations”, according to the presidency.<\/p>\n

It had said on Saturday that Tebboune had “voluntarily” gone into self-isolation for five days after suspected coronavirus cases emerged among several officials in the presidency and government.<\/p>\n

Anti-virus measures in the country had been eased on September 30, but a ban on gatherings remained in place.<\/p>\n

Morocco has also seen a sharp rise in infections, recording more than 4,000 new cases per day repeatedly in recent days. <\/p>\n

The total number of deaths in the north African kingdom has also spiked to more than 3,000. <\/p>\n

Restrictions on travel between major urban centres has been in place since the end of July, and Morocco’s hardest hit city, Casablanca, is under a night-time curfew. <\/p>\n

A public health state of emergency has been extended until November 10.\n <\/p>\n\n

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Follow the latest news<\/a> on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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\n \u00a9 2020 AFP<\/p>\n

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\n Tunisia imposes tough new virus restrictions (2020, October 29)
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