Coronavirus: Tunisian PM cancels Italy trip after minister gets virus

Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi canceled a planned visit Tuesday to Italy at the last minute, after one of his ministers accompanying him on a visit to France tested positive for the coronavirus.

Mechichi had been on a three-day trip to France, where he met French Prime Minister Jean Castex, as well as the presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly.

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Castex’s office said French officials who attended the meeting have been informed. Since sanitary protocols were respected, Castex is not considered as having been in close contact with an infected person, his office said.

Senior French political officials have repeatedly said that they adhere to strict sanitary rules during the pandemic.

According to the official TAP news agency, Minister of Economy and Finance Ali Kooli was found positive for Covid-19 during tests carried out in Paris before the planned trip to Rome. TAP reported that the other members of the delegation tested negative for the virus.

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