Lebanon Records First Coronavirus Death
Lebanon on Tuesday has recorded its first death from the new coronavirus, a health ministry source said.
The 56-year-old was receiving treatment in a state-run Beirut hospital, the ministry source told AFP, adding that he had recently returned from Egypt, where the virus has also spread.
Media reports said he was hospitalized at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Notre Dame des Secours hospital, in Jbeil.
Lebanon, already hit by economic collapse and anti-government protests, is now grappling with an outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 virus -- its latest in a long list of crises.
Health Minister Hamad Hassan said last week that the country has moved beyond the phase of "containment" and was bracing for a more serious outbreak.
Schools, universities, cafes, pubs and other public places have since been ordered shut over fears of the virus.
Sport tournaments have been postponed and cultural events cancelled.
According to the health minister, the origins of Lebanon's cases have mostly been traced to other countries.
Lebanon has said it would deny entry to non-resident foreigners arriving from China, South Korea, Iran and Italy, which are among the hardest hit by the epidemic.
But domestic concern is still high amid fears that Lebanon is not equipped to face a mass outbreak.
With a grinding liquidity crunch and dwindling foreign reserves, Lebanon has struggled to secure the dollars needed for medical imports even before coronavirus arrived.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced on Saturday that the country would suspend payment on Eurobonds.
Source: Naharnet
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