Tunisia mandates residents, foreign travelers show COVID-19 vaccine pass

Tunisia will be mandating its residents and foreign travelers show proof of vaccination amid the country’s lagging vaccination rate, Reuters reported.

In a presidential decree issued on Friday, Tunisians will now be required to show a COVID-19 vaccination pass to go into certain public indoor settings such as hotels and cafes, the outlet reported. Individuals will also be required to show proof of vaccination to travel outside of the country.

Public and private sector employees will also be required to show proof of vaccination or have their employment suspended until they get inoculated.

Those traveling into Tunisia who show they have been inoculated will also be provided health passes by the government, according to Reuters. 

COVID-19 cases in Tunisia have been trending downward. On Thursday, the country saw 157 confirmed cases compared to 407 cases on Sept. 21, a month prior, according to data from the World Health Organization.

Around the peak of the pandemic in Tunisia, the country was seeing cases in the thousands, especially earlier this year in July.

Still, the country’s COVID-19 vaccination rate is low. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, just over one-third of the country has been fully vaccinated. 

Several other countries this month have implemented COVID-19 health passes, including Italy and Bulgaria. While 70 percent of Italy’s population is fully vaccinated, roughly 20 percent of Bulgaria’s population has been inoculated, per Johns Hopkins University data.

Earlier this summer, France also adopted the use of a COVID-19 health pass.