A government staff takes temperatures of passengers at a bus station in Tunis, Tunisia, March 14, 2020. Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh announced on Friday a series of urgent preventive measures to confront the novel coronavirus. All cultural and sports events and scientific conferences throughout the country will be canceled while cafes, bars and restaurants will be closed as of 04:00 p.m. Tunisia local time. All national championships will be held indoors while courses at all education facilities will be suspended and all mosques will also be closed. (Photo by Adele Ezzine/Xinhua)
TUNIS, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh announced on Friday a series of urgent preventive measures to confront the novel coronavirus.
"Following consultations with the president, parliament speaker and health ministry officials, measures have been taken to prevent the third stage of the pandemic," said Fakhfakh in a televised speech on the national channel Wataniya.
Maritime borders will be closed to all countries while air borders with Italy will be suspended permanently.
Tunisia will keep a single daily flight with France, a single weekly flight with Egypt, Britain, Spain and Germany but all passengers will be placed under quarantine.
All cultural and sports events and scientific conferences throughout the country will be canceled while cafes, bars and restaurants will be closed as of 04:00 p.m. Tunisia local time.
All national championships will be held indoors while courses at all education facilities will be suspended and all mosques will also be closed.
Fakhfakh said that these measures will continue to be in effect until April 4.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Tunisia has risen to 16, the health ministry had confirmed earlier on Friday.
