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On Tuesday, Lebanese authorities approved the imposition of lockdown restrictions, which they described as “complete” for a period of two weeks, warning that the country had reached the “red line” with the increase in cases of the Covid-19 epidemic. and hospitals reaching their maximum capacity.
Since the start of the epidemic in February, Lebanon has recorded 95,355 cases, including 732 deaths.
And after the government, through an early blanket shutdown, managed to contain the first wave, the country recently posted record rates of infection, despite the isolation of dozens of cities and towns.
Acting Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Tuesday: “Today we have reached the red line in the number of injuries and have reached the stage of severe danger due to the inability of hospitals, both government and private, to receive patients. seriously injured, “after his family was full.
He added, “We fear that we will reach a stage where people die in the street,” explaining, “We no longer have other options to turn to,” and therefore the decision was made to impose a “total closure”, from on Saturday November 14 until the 30th of the same.
He spoke of “exceptions … for the health and vital sector” without specifying them. The decision will exclude the airport, and local media reported that it will exclude several sectors, including furnaces, banks, the airport and each of the electricity corporation, two communications companies and factories.
The daily death toll increased, especially after the terrible explosion in the port of Beirut, which killed more than two hundred people, injured more than 6,500 and contributed to the disruption of the fragile health sector.
Officials fear the collapse of the health system, especially with the registration of more than 1,500 injuries among medical staff, and their inability to receive new patients, as the number of injured continues to rise and intensive care beds are full.
The growing virus outbreak comes at a time when Lebanon is witnessing its worst economic crisis, which has doubled poverty rates in the country, prompting economic bodies to oppose lockdown restrictions. The deteriorating economic situation delayed the government’s decision to impose a total shutdown.
“I know very well the magnitude of the economic damage due to the shutdown,” Diab said, adding that “without health protection, livelihood is not guaranteed.”
The government asked the Health Ministry to increase the preparedness of the health sector during the closure period, as well as of the military and security agencies to “strictly implement” the decision.
Human Rights Watch warned that “if Lebanon wants to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, it must ensure that people adhere to health measures without worrying about securing their next meal.”
