On 26 July 2021, President Kais Saied declared a countrywide nightly curfew from 1900 to 0600 local time (1800-0500 UTC) until 27 August and banned public gatherings of more than three people amid political turmoil in the country. In addition, intercity travel is prohibited, except for essential reasons, even outside of the curfew hours. The declaration comes the day after Saied dismissed Prime Minister Hicham Mechini and suspended parliament for 30 days in response to widespread anti-government demonstrations in the capital Tunis and multiple other cities. Earlier on 26 July, rival groups of demonstrators in Tunis engaged in scuffles and threw rocks at each other outside the parliament building, located on Avenue Habib Bourguiba; however, there were no major instances of violence. Military personnel are stationed outside the parliament, the government palace and the Tunis Afrique Presse — the state-owned news agency. Security personnel turned away lawmakers who attempted to enter the parliament building to defy Saied’s suspension of parliament. Prior to the suspension of parliament on 25 July, thousands of people participated in anti-government demonstrations in Tunis and other cities across the country against the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic hardships.