Govt. Boosts Internet for Citizens to Stay Home over Coronavirus

The Lebanese government on Thursday decided to “double the speed and quotas of internet services” in order to encourage citizens to stay home amid a local and global coronavirus outbreak.

During a cabinet session held in Baabda, the government also decided to utilize a $39 million loan from the World Bank to equip state-run hospitals in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

It also called on international organizations to “shoulder their responsibilities as to providing health care and the necessary preventative services to displaced Syrians and Palestinian refugees.”

As for the internet decision, the information minister said it will apply to OGERO subscribers and will run until the end of April.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab meanwhile told Cabinet that “the number of virus infections in Lebanon is among the lowest in the world,” decrying what he called “political exploitation and a systematic intimidation campaign against the government.”

Lebanon has so far confirmed 66 coronavirus cases among them three fatalities.

On Wednesday, the country closed restaurants and cafes and announced the suspension of flights from 11 nations, giving Lebanese citizens a four-day deadline to return from seven countries.

Educational institutions, sport clubs, nightclubs, pubs and other gathering venues had been closed since several days.