FILE PHOTO: A general view shows a empty street in Sidi Bou Said, an attractive tourist destination, as the country extended the lockdown by two weeks to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Tunis, Tunisia April 1, 2020. REUTERS/Zou
TUNIS - Tunisia will extend its nighttime curfew hours and will prevent all gatherings and weekly markets to curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic, as intensive care units near maximum capacity in most hospitals, the government said Wednesday.
The curfew will start 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. morning starting Friday.
Tunisia also will impose quarantine for all visitors who need to show COVID-19 tests upon arrival, the government spokeswoman Hasna Ben Slimane said.
Beds in intensive care units in Tunisian public hospitals are about 80% full as COVID-19 cases surge, the Health Minister Faouzi Mehdi said.
Tunisia has recorded 263,000 coronavirus cases and 9,039 deaths.
