By Grace Audu –
According to a government official, Libya’s new unity government declared on Thursday that it would close its borders with Tunisia for a week due to an increase in coronavirus cases in the neighboring nation.
The decision was made as a precautionary measure in response to the government’s description of a “worsening crisis and collapsing health system,” as well as an increase in instances of the coronavirus delta variant in the United States.
According to Mohamed Hamouda, a spokesman for the Government of National Unity (GNU), the closure of both the land border and the airport with Tunisia would begin at midnight on Thursday.
For the same reason, universities and schools, according to Hamouda, have postponed classes for about two weeks.
Tunisia wrestled with an increase in cases after effectively limiting the virus in the initial wave last year. Due to its economic difficulties, it has enforced a lockdown in select cities since last week, but has refused a nationwide lockdown.
In Tunisia, the overall number of illnesses has risen to around 465,000, with over 15,000 deaths.
“The Libyan state ,through its consulate in Tunisia ,will take care of its nationals stranded in Tunisia territory as a result of this decision until their return to the country is facilitated,” said Hamouda.
Many Libyans come to Tunisia for medical care, but the number increased as the oil-rich country descended into anarchy following the NATO-backed rebellion that toppled former President Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
There have been 160,095 cases and 3227 deaths in Libya. The country’s National Center for Disease Control reported that 413,883 of the country’s 6.5 million people had received vaccinations.