Lebanon Mulls New Virus Lockdown this Week

Amid a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in Lebanon, the country is weighing a total 15-day nationwide lockdown starting Thursday in an effort to stem the surge in coronavirus cases, media reports said Monday.

The Higher Defense Council will reportedly meet to decide on the lockdown which will extend over 15 consecutive days as a preliminary move, before other appropriate steps are taken shall the lockdown reap effective results translated in a drop in infections.

Reports said that strict security measures will be taken this time to make sure that people who flout restrictions will face fines.

Lebanon has already imposed a raft of restrictions in recent weeks, but compliance has been patchy and the country has largely continued to function as usual.

The move will include a wide range of security checkpoints in various Lebanese regions, and penalties will be imposed on violators.

The decision will be taken after a series of recommendations from the parliamentary committees and the corona follow-up committee.

Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan had warned earlier this month that Lebanon is “at a very dangerous crossroads,” warning that hospitals are running out of intensive care beds.

The country of six million people has recorded 94,236 cases of Covid-19 including 723 deaths since February. Around a third of the population are Syrian or Palestinian refugees, many living in overcrowded camps.

A first country-wide lockdown imposed in March was effective in stemming the spread of the virus, and restrictions were gradually lifted as summer beckoned people outdoors.

But then daily infections slowly ticked up again -- and they surged after the monstrous Beirut port blast of August 4 ravaged swathes of the capital and overwhelmed hospitals.

Daily new cases have risen from a few dozen in early summer to more than 1,000 now.