TUNIS: Tunisia on Saturday confirmed 1,087 new cases of the coronavirus, the North African country’s highest single-day caseload since March.
The latest reported cases have taken Tunisia’s total virus caseload to 14,392. Eleven new deaths due to Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, were also recorded, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, bringing the country’s total to 191.
The Tunisian government, grappling with economic woes, has ruled out reimposing a total lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. However, some health officials have warned that the infection situation could worsen next month if health precautions are not strictly observed.
Police have started campaigns to ensure people wear protective face masks in public places. Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, who took office earlier this month, said on Saturday a partial lockdown could be imposed in “hot infection areas” to curb the spread of the virus. “Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, the government has sought to strike a balance between economic and health requirements,” he added, according to Tunisia’s state news agency TAP.
Tunisia has struggled with civil unrest as well as economic hardships, which have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The economy is expected to shrink by up to 7 per cent.
Meanwhile, Tunisia’s tourism sector has collapsed, officials warned on Saturday, with earnings plunging 60 per cent and swathes of hotels at risk of closing permanently.
The sector, a major employer that accounts for 14 per cent of the North African nation’s GDP, has been hit hard by restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. “There has been a drop in tourism activities of 60 per cent, and we could reach 70 percent by the end of 2020,” Tourism Minister Habib Ammar told reporters.
Tunisia’s income from tourism this year has totalled just $563 million, officials statistics showed.
Total bed nights — the number of nights visitors stayed in hotels — dropped by 79.5 per cent.
— Agencies
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