TUNIS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- After five days in a row with zero COVID-19 positive cases, Tunisia reported three new confirmed cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of infected to 1,035.
"Two COVID-19 cases were detected in Gafsa in southwestern Tunisia and only one case in Grand Tunis," Nissaf Ben Alaya, director general of the National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, said at a press briefing in Tunis.
Ben Alaya said that Tunisia has not won the war against coronavirus. "The risk of triggering a second epidemiological wave still exists."
"No return to normal life is expected soon, especially since the situation in Tunisia depends on that in the world," added the health official.
According to Ben Alaya, the gradual opening of the economy remains dependent on people's compliance with preventive measures, namely the wearing of masks, social distancing and hand hygiene.
"The authorities are still counting on the conscience of the Tunisian people to continue to curb the spread of this virus," she concluded.
As of Friday night, a total of 802 patients have recovered in Tunisia while 45 deaths were reported in 13 provinces, according to the latest figures from the ministry of Health.
A total of 37,862 lab tests have been carried out since March 2, the day when the first COVID-19 case was found in Tunisia. Enditem
