Tunisian PM pours cold water on nationwide lockdown

Hisham Al-Mashishi said despite a rise in cases, it would not be possible to impose a general lockdown “because of the socio-economic difficulties”.

JOHANNESBURG, April 8 (ANA) – Tunisia’s Prime Minister Hisham Al-Mashishi has poured cold water on imposing a nationwide lockdown despite a spike in coronavirus cases in the North African country, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.

“It is not possible to impose a general lockdown in Tunisia because of the socio-economic difficulties,” the news outlet quoted him as saying.

The prime minister however emphasised the need to respect health protocols, especially physical distancing and wearing masks, and also called on all citizens to register online to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat, Tunisia has only vaccinated 100,000 people against the coronavirus, out of up to one million people registered on the platform.

The number of hospitalised Covid-19 patients in the country reached 1,664, including 374 in intensive care units, while the total number of recoveries reached 220,645.

Official data shows Tunisia has to date reported 264,994 coronavirus cases, out of which more than 9,000 people have died.

Citing the government on Wednesday, news agency Reuters said Tunisia would extend its night time curfew hours and prevent all gatherings and weekly markets to curb the rapid spread of the virus as intensive care units approached maximum capacity in most hospitals.

Beginning on Friday, the daily curfew will start from 7 pm to 5 am the following morning.

The government’s spokesperson Hasna Ben Slimane said the country would also impose quarantine for all visitors who needed to show coronavirus tests upon arrival.

– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa