Several countries promised to help Tunisia fight the coronavirus on Friday as the north African country recorded its highest daily death toll since the pandemic began, putting its health care system under severe stress and depleting oxygen supplies.
President Kais Saied said in a statement that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had pledged to send vaccinations and whatever medical equipment Tunisia needed.
Libya also pledged to send medical aid, the president's office said in a separate statement. Officials and local media said that Kuwait, Turkey and Algeria had promised to help.
Qatar had already sent a military plane with a field hospital on board, including 200 medics and 100 respirators. Egypt soon followed with plane-loads of assistance.
"Two Egyptian military planes arrived on Saturday at the military base in El Aouina, carrying various medical equipment, quantities of medicines, breathing monitoring machines and oxygen concentrators," read a statement by the Tunisian presidency office.
"It reflects the deep and solid relations between Tunisia and Egypt, as well as the values of solidarity that exist between the two brotherly countries and peoples," the presidency added.
After successfully containing the virus in the first wave last year, Tunisia is now grappling with a rise in infections. Government scientific advisors had proposed a six-week national lockdown to stop hospitals from being overwhelmed, but the government decided the economy could not sustain more damage.
That decision was partially amended last week when the government imposed a lockdown in some cities, measures that still fell short of what scientists recommended.
Further lockdowns for would risk piling on more damage to the vital tourism sector, which has already witnessed catastrophic losses since the start of the global health emergency.
Tunisia recorded 189 deaths on Friday, the highest daily toll since the pandemic began last year. It reported 8,500 new coronavirus cases.
"We are in a catastrophic situation ... the health system has collapsed, we can only find a bed in hospitals with great difficulty," health ministry spokesperson Nisaf Ben Alaya said.
"We are struggling to provide oxygen ... doctors are suffering from unprecedented fatigue," she said. "The boat is sinking."
The total number of coronavirus cases so far in Tunisia has climbed to around 480,000, with more than 16,000 deaths.
Vaccinations lag far behind other countries. So far, only 715,000 people have received two doses out of a total of 11.6 million residents.
The president's office said last week that the United States pledged to donate 500,000 vaccination doses.
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
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