Tunisia’s initial two-week coronavirus lockdown will continue until May 3 amid growing fears over its economic impact. Health Care Minister Abdellatif Mekki claims the country has overcome with minimal damage the critical phase of the epidemic. But the restrictions hurt the economy immensely, with the International Monetary Fund projecting a 4.3% fall in economic growth in 2020.

“This is the country’s deepest economic depression since its independence from France in 1956,” Lotfi Saibi, economic analyst and founder and director at 4D Leadership House (a consultancy agency in Tunis), tells Al-Monitor. 

 The general lockdown brought Tunisia's economy to a near halt. Only essential businesses such as groceries, medium-sized supermarkets and pharmacies are allowed to remain open. City to city travel is banned. On March 22, when the decision came into effect, the country reported 54 positive cases, relatively low compared to other countries. However, the drastic decision was deemed vital to enable the weak public health service to cope with the outbreak. The number of cases has risen to around 879 as of April 20.

The health care sector alerted the government about a serious equipment shortage and said Tunisia could not handle numbers similar to Europe. “At the moment we don't need money, but rather medical equipment. That's essential. It is urgent,” former Minister of Health and head of the pneumology department at the Rabta hospital Samira Merai Friaa told La Presse on March 21.