Coronavirus: Three more cases confirmed in Tunisia

Three more cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Tunisia, taking the total to five.

Health officials say the latest confirmed infections on Monday are in the northern port city of Bizerte, the southern resort town of Mehdia, and in the capital Tunis – they did not specify which countries they had travelled from.

The first two had travelled from Italy.

An official letter from the ministry of health asked Tunisians to postpone all conferences as a precautionary measure and to avoid inviting guests from countries highly affected by infections.

A further 25 people in the resort city of Sousse were asked to self-quarantine. The country’s first case of infection has been treated at a hospital there since last week and is said to be improving. The state news agency TAP reported a marked absence of students from schools in Sousse on Monday.

The Iftaa Board of Tunisia, which issues religious decrees, also announced the temporary suspension of conversions to Islam - citing it as a preventative measure against coronavirus.