The speed of the response and the significant restrictions that were introduced allowed Tunisia to dodge the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to socio-economic constraints, the government was not able to curb as efficiently the second and third waves. Completing the financing plan for the budget was relatively complex because of the difficulties with mobilising external financing.

The interviews that were conducted indicated that political instability and bureaucratic procedures, constituted obstacles to delivering effective protection for the most deprived groups. The difficulties of accounting for and following up the most vulnerable groups have been all the more pronounced during this pandemic. Moreover, the general finding to emerge from our interviews was that the most vulnerable people, particularly informal workers have not necessarily been able to benefit from government assistance.