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Tunisia recorded 8,506 new cases on Friday, July 9, as the number of new infections are on the rise across the Maghreb region. From war-torn Libya to the Atlantic coast of Morocco, numbers of COVID-19 infections are rising in North Africa.
On Friday, Morocco reported 1,250 new cases out of 21,216 tested individuals. Algeria recorded 620 new cases while in Libya 1,384 cases were reported to the WHO. COVID-19 is again worrying public officials amid the global spread of new mutations of the virus, with the Delta and Lambda variants as the most prominent concerns.
For many across the region, this new wave of infections comes at the worst possible time. People employed in the tourism and hospitality sector are again facing a direct threat to their income while hospitals from Rabat to Tripoli prepare their intensive care units for a new influx in patients.
Tunisia so far appears to be the worst hit country in North Africa. New daily cases have increased more than tenfold since May 16, rising from 720 daily new cases to surpassing the 8,000 mark this Friday. With new cases also comes an upsurge in COVID-related deaths. On Friday, COVID-19 related complications claimed 189 lives in Tunisia.
Governments across the region are faced with an impossible choice. Countries could again impose tough lockdown measures that have proven successful in containing the spread of the virus. However, doing so means sacrificing much of the economic gains that have accompanied the downward trend in infections.
North African governments had taken comfort in declining cases ahead of the summer, indicating a likely return to normal for the millions who are employed in the tourism sector. Yet, as citizens relax their personal efforts to socially distance and wear masks, new mutations from other parts of the world are helping to accelerate the spread of the virus.
