Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi authorized on Monday the introduction of a nationwide curfew in light of a significant increase in COVID-19 cases
CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2020) Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi authorized on Monday the introduction of a nationwide curfew in light of a significant increase in COVID-19 cases.
"Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi permitted all governors to announce a curfew in their provinces starting from Tuesday, October 20, 2020," the government said in a statement published on its website.
From October 13-16, the health ministry registered over 5,000 daily cases of the infection, and a total of 114 people died during this period.
Over the course of a work session held at the Kasbah government palace, the prime minister also discussed the security situation in Tunisia with a number of senior security officials and the interior minister.
Prior to these developments, the authorities of the two eastern provinces, Sousse and Monastir, had already imposed a coronavirus-related curfew from October 1-15.
Public health measures aimed to tackle COVID-19 were initiated by the Tunisian government back in January 2020 and were subsequently lifted in June. In the early summer, the authorities had allowed the citizens' movement between provinces and lifted the curfew. On June 27, Tunisia opened its air, land and sea borders, allowing foreign travelers to enter the country.
