- For the time being, Tunisia has officially identified 628 patients through tests and deplores 24 deaths from Covid-19.
- The government set up containment on March 22, as well as a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., a situation that is very difficult for the Tunisians.
- The most precarious families face serious financial difficulties. Because in Tunisia, the daily workers who occupy small jobs are legion.
After the Jasmin revolution, the attacks in recent years, the drastic fall in tourism, Tunisia was raising its head a little. But the global coronavirus pandemic suddenly cut its wings. For the time being, the country has officially identified 628 patients through tests and deplores 24 deaths from Covid-19.
And to limit the spread of the virus in this country to fragile health infrastructures, the government set up confinement on March 22, as well as a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., which will be in effect at least until April 19. "Tunisians see what is happening in Italy, Spain and France, and say that if industrialized countries are overwhelmed by this health crisis, it is not reassuring for Tunisia, which has about 300 intensive care beds on the whole territory, ”analyzes Mohamed Arbi Nehdi, psychiatrist in Tunis.
"Many people let their guard down"
A confinement that has been less well respected in recent days. Large crowds gathered in particular in front of the post offices to seek the aid promised by the state for poor households. Mohamed Arbi Nehdi observed this relaxation: “People who live in small dwellings find it harder to stay at home. And some people who no longer have any money go out to try to work. The Minister of Health even started to cry on television earlier this week to tell them to stay home. ” According to Rafik Jemli, an executive in an animal feed business, confinement is especially well respected in residential areas, and less in working-class areas: "In the cities that concentrate a lot of social housing, groups of residents continue to meet at the bottom of buildings, without respecting safety distances. Maintaining the markets is also a problem because customers are glued to each other. ”
Fatma, who lives in the medina of Tunis (Bab el Khadra), also sees more people in the streets when she goes shopping: “Even if the cafes are closed, many people keep their guard; they chat in the streets and the grocery stores are crowded. The curfew is not well respected in my neighborhood either, because near my home, I hear people walking on the street and the sounds of motorcycles. People are not aware of the danger, do not understand how easily this virus is transmitted. And some are fatalists and turn their fate to God, ”she analyzes. “Tunisians are used to spending a good part of their days outside. After two weeks of confinement, our morale is starting to be affected, ”adds Slim, a senior Tunisian official.
Already 1,000 arrests
Police patrols are nevertheless carried out, but unevenly depending on the neighborhood. And if the police arrest many motorists to verify the reason for their movement, passers-by are less subject to control. But the government has already announced a turn of the screw. Tunisian Interior Minister Hichem Mechichi said that he had made more than 1,000 arrests and 70 house arrest cases for people who had breached general confinement. And more than 50,000 license withdrawals are already registered.
The prospect of Ramadan, which will start in late April, is also a source of concern. Because during this sacred month of fasting, the social life of Tunisians intensifies. "I fear that many people want to go out to see the world after the break in the fast, despite the curfew," says Fatma. "And people risk going to supermarkets at the same time," adds Slim.
"We did not really anticipate remote work"
Like many French people, Tunisians also had to convert to telework straight away. "We didn't really anticipate working at a distance, but we learn by walking," says Slim. Rafik Jemli's company has more prepared for this change: "As of February 25, my company took precautionary measures, by delivering meals to employees to prevent them from going out, by equipping them with equipment IT for teleworking, ordering hydroalcoholic gel, reorganizing work in factories…. And at the beginning of March, all the administrative staff were put on telework. Our employees, who found us alarmist at the end of February, now recognize that it was right to anticipate, ”he explains.
Still, working remotely over a long period is not easy. “It is not easy to telecommute with my 4 year old daughter at home, while I have several conference calls every day. She misses her kindergarten friends and needs a lot of attention, ”says Fatma, who manages quality control in a telecontrol company. " I work a lot. My 10-year-old son spends a lot of time on his game console, ”said Slim.
"I'm afraid of being infected and infecting my family"
At the same time, the government has indicated that workers in "vital" sectors, such as agriculture and agrifood, health, security, communication or energy, will continue to work on site. What is nothing more pleasing, as Aymen, quality director for a company that sells water testifies: “I am afraid of contaminating my family, first of all, and I am afraid for my colleagues . It is an everyday war to ensure the supply of hydroalcoholic gel, masks, gloves…. We must also continue to ensure that the personnel apply the safety rules and that the safety procedures are respected (temperature reading of employees at the entrance to factories, disinfection of materials every hour, etc.) ”, he says. Same stress for Mohamed Arbi Nehdi, who always ensures his face-to-face consultations: “I have a lot of work because many depressed patients or subjects with anxiety disorders have decompensated. And this crisis can precipitate relapses of bipolar or psychotic patients. I have a mask for me, one for the patient. He stays two meters from me. Despite this, I am afraid of being infected, of infecting my family, especially since my wife also works in the medical field. "
Another negative consequence of confinement: It deprives the most precarious jobs. Because in Tunisia, the daily workers who occupy small jobs are legion. And with travel restrictions, it is impossible to sell on the street, participate in a construction site, or collect recyclable waste. "These people don't get unemployment and no longer have any income," says Slim. And even if the government has started to distribute aid of 200 dinars (64 euros), this is not enough to live on. "Every day, two people knock on the door of my house asking for food," said Rafik Jemli. Many organizations, but also footballers or ordinary citizens, mobilized in dispersed order to help the poor.
"I discovered a passion for gardening"
And with confinement, domestic violence also exploded. The number of assaults reported against women "has increased fivefold compared to the same period in 2019," Minister of Women, Children and the Elderly, Asma Shiri Laabidi, told AFP. who launched free psychological counseling over the phone on Monday.
When they look to the future, Tunisians find it difficult to project themselves. “All the economic indicators are going down. Many people get their savings back in the bank for fear that the financial system will crack, ”said Slim. "It is likely that many companies are going out of business," adds Rafik Gemeli. Despite these pessimistic perspectives, everyone has their own recipe for trying to keep smiling at all costs: “The advantage of confinement is that we do more activities with children and we waste less food "Says Slim. "I discovered a passion for gardening," says Mohamed Arbi Nehdi.
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