Tunisia’s Coronavirus Cases Pass the 5,000 Mark

Tourists walk, one of them wearing a protective face mask, in the Old City of Tunis. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Tourists walk, one of them wearing a protective face mask, in the Old City of Tunis. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
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Tunisia’s Coronavirus Cases Pass the 5,000 Mark

Tourists walk, one of them wearing a protective face mask, in the Old City of Tunis. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Tourists walk, one of them wearing a protective face mask, in the Old City of Tunis. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

The total number of people infected with the coronavirus in Tunisia passed the 5,400 mark since the COVID-19 disease was discovered in the country on March 2, Director of the National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases Nissaf Ben Alaya said.

She pointed out that around 265 health workers had been infected, while the death toll almost doubled from 50 to 96 cases following the reopening of the Tunisian border on June 27.

Ben Alaya noted that around 293 people tested positive on September 7, bringing the number of active cases in Tunisia to 3,459. A total of 86 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized, including 26 in intensive care units.

Since the border’s reopening, 4,216 infections have been reported, including 587 imported cases, 3,584 domestic (85 percent) and 46 deaths (1 percent).

Jalila Ben Khalil, a member of the Standing Committee for the fight against the coronavirus, raised the red flag on the pandemic.

Othman al-Jallouli, general secretary of the General University of Health, also urged the Tunisian government to refrain from declaring victory over the disease.

He called for allotting more funds to the fight against the pandemic.



Palestinian Authority at Risk of Collapse, Norway Says

Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
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Palestinian Authority at Risk of Collapse, Norway Says

Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)

The Palestinian Authority could collapse in the coming months, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said on Monday, citing a lack of funding, continuing violence and the fact that half a million Palestinians are not allowed to work in Israel.

"The situation is extremely dire. The Palestinian Authority, with whom we work closely, are warning us that they might be collapsing this summer," Barth Eide told Reuters.

"If it collapses, you could end up having another Gaza, which would be terrible for everybody, including the people of Israel," he added.

Norway chairs the international donor group to the Palestinians and is a backer of the PA.