Tunisia allows regions to impose nightly curfews amid COVID-19 spike

Al-Monitor Staff

Oct 19, 2020

Tunisian artists and cultural workers observe a sit-in in front of the opera theatre on Oct. 5, 2020, in the capital, Tunis, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi announced the ban on all gatherings and reiterated the obligation to wear masks in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which threatens to saturate hospitals. — FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images)

In an effort to combat a dramatic uptick in coronavirus cases, Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi has given governors across the country the authority to impose nightly curfews beginning Tuesday.

Reuters reports that the new order builds on the curfews already imposed this month in several parts of the country, including the capital, Tunis. The movement restrictions come as the number of coronavirus cases across Tunisia has swelled to more than 40,000.