Month: March 2020

New platform “Men_Dari” and increase of broadband launched by TT

BGMN

Tunisie Telecom announced on Monday the launch of its new #Men_Dari platform designed to accompany Tunisians during the period of total lockdown decreed by the Tunisian authorities to contain the spread of the coronavirus. At an online press briefing held on Monday, Tunisie Telecom’s interim CEO, Khalil Laabidi, explained that #Men_Dari, accessible via the code USSD*190#, brings together the services and packages launched to meet the needs of Tunisians during this period of total containment, including free access to some forty sites including university and education sites under the supervision…

Tunisia to start using new rapid COVID-19 testing kits

BGMN

Minister of Health Abdellatif Mekki, announced on Sunday that the ministry will soon start using new rapid COVID-19 testing kits, that provide test results for patients in just 10-minutes. “In ten days, over 500,000 new rapid COVID-19 testing kits will be available in Tunisia,” Mekki told Tunisian private radio Ifm, adding that the new rapid testing kit is “of high precision and internationally certified, and will help speed up the process of testing.” “The rapid testing kits simply requires a pinprick to patient’s finger so that it can take one…

WB, IMF call to Action on Debt of IDA Countries

BGMN

The World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund called in a joint statement to Action on the Debt of IDA Countries. The statement indicates that the coronavirus outbreak is likely to have severe economic and social consequences for IDA countries, home to a quarter of the world’s population and two-thirds of the world’s population living in extreme poverty. With immediate effect—and consistent with national laws of the creditor countries—the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) call on all official bilateral creditors to suspend debt payments from…

“SAFE TUNISIA” NEW 100% ONLINE CHALLENGE OF NOVATION CITY TO CURB COVID-19

BGMN

Novation City ” Pôle de Compétitivité de Sousse ” launched on March 17, 2020, the ” SAFE TUNISIA CHALLENGE “, a competition for Start-ups, students, graduates and entrepreneurs working in the field of Technology, innovation or information and whose aim is to counter, slow down or stem the spread of Covid-19 and to manage the crisis caused by the epidemic in Tunisia. “Safe Tunisia” is a national challenge whose mission is to concentrate Tunisia’s potential for innovation and technological skills in order to create synergies that will enable the rapid…

EU pledges $280m to Tunisia’s battle against coronavirus

BGMN

The EU said on Saturday that it would grant 250m euros ($280m) to Tunisia to help fight the deadly new coronavirus and the adverse socio-economic effects of a lockdown. The bloc’s Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi pledged the aid in a telephone call with Tunisia’s Foreign Minister Noureddine Erray, according to a joint statement issued by the EU delegation in Tunis and the ministry, Reuters reported. Tunisia has closed schools, universities, cafes and bars, shut its land and maritime borders and suspended international flights to try and slow the spread of the disease. It also banned…

Tunisian Embassy to Sudan collects 29,000 dinars to support 1818 Fund to combat Covid 19

BGMN

On a joint initiative between the Tunisian Embassy in Khartoum and a group of Tunisian community members, 29,000 dinars were collected to support the 1818 Fund to combat Covid 19. In a statement to TunisianMonitorOnline, Tunisian ambassador to Sudan Hechmi Agili said: “This initiative is within the framework of supporting the national efforts to mobilize the resources of the Covid 19 pandemic fund and to contribute even with a small portion that reduces its economic and social repercussions on our country.” “On this occasion, I extend appreciation to the members…

Air quality improving in quarantined countries

BGMN

Air quality is improving in countries under coronavirus quarantines, experts say, but it is far too early to speak of long-term change. Images by the U.S. space agency NASA are clear, in February the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) fell dramatically in Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, passing from an indicator that was red/orange to blue. NO2 is mainly produced by vehicles, industrial sites and thermal power stations. As China moves past the peak of its crisis, however, recent images by the European Space Agency (ESA) show…

Over 10 million Tunisians under general Lockdown as of Sunday

BGMN

Premier Elyes Fakhfakh said Saturday night that the general lockdown is a measure that involves all Tunisians, with the exception of about 15% of the population that will work so as to ensure the smooth running of vital sectors, such as security, health, agro-food, water, electricity, banks… In an address to the nation, Fakhfakh said the general lockdown is a preventive measure to ensure the people’s security and the country’s stability, this is why it is imperative to stay home and reduce the mobility. «The general health lockdown» decided on…

Tunisia mobilises 2.5 billion dinars to combat effects of coronavirus

BGMN

Tunisia is allocating 2.5 billion dinars to combat the economic and social effects of the coronavirus health crisis, Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh said on Saturday. Among new measures, the government will delay tax debts, postpone taxes on small- and medium-sized businesses, delay repayment of low-income employee loans and provide financial assistance to poor families. “All of Tunisia is united in this dangerous war. The war has a cost and the exceptional decisions that we announced have a cost, but we have no choice”, Fakhfakh said in an address to the…

EU supports health sector in Tunisia

BGMN

The EU supports the health sector in Tunisia in 13 governorates, mainly in first-line health service structures, thanks to the “Essaha Aziza” programme with a budget of €20 million. This programme will help support the Health Ministry in its national efforts of prevention and response to COVID19, EU NEIGHBOURS reports. Training has been held to all emergency services staff of the 13 governorates, mainly in local hospitals, since November 2019. Other training started in December 2019 and concerned care hygiene in hospitals, including handwashing, the same source said. Work has…