TUNIS, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi announced on Wednesday a series of measures to support small businesses severely damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his evening speech on state television Wataniya1, Mechichi said 5,000 interest-free loans worth 5,000 Tunisian dinars (1,828 U.S. dollars) each will be offered to small and medium-sized businesses affected by the pandemic, especially those directly related to the celebration of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
"Small artisans and traders will be exempt from taxes until the end of the current fiscal year, without penalties," he noted.
Morocco decided on May 7 to impose a general lockdown for a period of seven days from May 9 to May 16 to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the country, but the government on Wednesday decided to ease a series of COVID-19 restrictions from May 14 until June 6. Enditem
