Hospital Says Hassan Doing Well as Lebanon Sees Record Virus Deaths

Covid-infected caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan is in a good health condition and is practicing his work from his hospital room, the St. Georges Hadath Hospital said on Thursday.

The Health Ministry’s press office meanwhile announced that Hassan “looked into transactions and signed the ministry’s mail.”

Lebanon meanwhile reported a record high of 41 daily deaths in addition to 5,196 infections.

Lebanese authorities began enforcing an 11-day nationwide shutdown and round the clock curfew Thursday, hoping to limit the spread of coronavirus infections spinning out of control after the holiday period.

For the first time, residents were required to request a one-hour permit to be allowed to leave the house for "emergencies," including going to the bakery, pharmacist, doctor, hospital or airport.

Authorities came under pressure to take a tougher approach after the country's hospitals ran out of beds with daily infections reaching an all-time high of 5,440 cases last week in the country of nearly 6 million people.

The dramatic surge in infections began in late December. As most governments around the world tightened lockdowns, Lebanon relaxed health measures over the holidays, allowing restaurants and nightclubs to reopen with barely any restrictions in place. An estimated 80,000 expats flowed back into the country to celebrate Christmas and New Years with loved ones, many of them expats who skipped visiting in the summer due to the devastating Aug. 4 explosion at Beirut port.