Tunisia Sees ‘Horizontal Growth’ in COVID-19 Cases

Passengers arriving at Tunis Airport are checked by thermal scanners for coronavirus symptoms (Reuters)
Passengers arriving at Tunis Airport are checked by thermal scanners for coronavirus symptoms (Reuters)
TT
20

Tunisia Sees ‘Horizontal Growth’ in COVID-19 Cases

Passengers arriving at Tunis Airport are checked by thermal scanners for coronavirus symptoms (Reuters)
Passengers arriving at Tunis Airport are checked by thermal scanners for coronavirus symptoms (Reuters)

Tunisia has recorded 983 COVID-19 cases, 424 out of them imported and 559 locally transmitted, in addition to six deaths, since opening the Tunisian border on June 27.

The horizontal growth of coronavirus cases pushed the country to declare an open war against the pandemic in several governorates.

Contact tracing showed that 85 percent of the patients are asymptomatic, hindering the containment of the disease. Total deaths reached 56, knowing that it remained fixed at 50 for a couple of consecutive months.

Tunisia recorded 78 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, 71 from local transmission and seven imported, which brought the total to 2,185, the Tunisian Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday.

Member of Tunisia's National Anti-corruption Commission Dr. Samir Abdelmoumen described the increase as “frightening” especially in regions that saw a horizontal growth in infections, such as Gabes.

Abdelmoumen said the situation can be reversed if parties respected the precautionary measures. Commenting on the possibility of imposing a full lockdown or closing the borders, he ruled out such measures.



Red Cross Gravely Concerned for Nine Missing Medics in Gaza

A Palestinian woman walks near the rubble of houses, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
A Palestinian woman walks near the rubble of houses, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

Red Cross Gravely Concerned for Nine Missing Medics in Gaza

A Palestinian woman walks near the rubble of houses, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
A Palestinian woman walks near the rubble of houses, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 29, 2025. (Reuters)

The Red Cross said on Saturday it is gravely concerned about the fate of nine Palestine Red Crescent ambulance crew who have been missing for seven days in Gaza.

The international humanitarian organization has not had any contact with the crew since they came under heavy fire while operating in Rafah in the early hours of March 23, it said in a statement.

"It is vital that there is information and access to ensure the safe return of these humanitarians to their families who are in a nightmare without knowing if their loved ones are alive," it stated.

According to the UN at least 1,060 healthcare workers have been killed in the eighteen months since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed southern Israel on October 7 2023. Hamas killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 50,000 people have died in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the health authorities in Gaza. The Israeli military said it does its best to reduce harm to civilians and questioned the death toll provided by health authorities in the Hamas-run territory.