Nasrallah Denies Virus Cover-Up, Says Up to Govt. to Declare Emergency
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday stressed that the Health Ministry has been transparent in reporting coronavirus cases, as he noted that it is up to the government to declare a state of emergency should the need arise.
“The Health Ministry has been transparent from the first day and all claims about a cover-up by the Health Ministry or Hizbullah are baseless and mere lies,” Nasrallah said in a televised address focused on the coronavirus crisis.
Some activists and media reports had in recent days claimed that undeclared coronavirus cases are present at the Hizbullah-affiliated Great Prophet Hospital.
“We put all our capabilities, health and medical cadres, manpower, institutions and resistance fighters at the government’s disposal,” Nasrallah added.
He also stressed that it is up to the government to declare a state of emergency over coronavirus, emphasizing that his party is not preventing it from making such a move.
Separately, he called on the country’s banks to “act responsibly” regarding the virus crisis.
“You have a lot of money and you have made huge profit and now you must shoulder your responsibility. You are the first side that must offer help to the government, the health sector and social solidarity, so that the people and the country can triumph,” Nasrallah said.
Turning to the controversy over the government’s measures in the face of the virus, Nasrallah said: “There is no problem in critics voicing their opinions, but we must shun divisions and I hope you will not discriminate regionally, racially or confessionally over this virus. We are before a humanitarian battle par excellence.”
“In the battle against coronavirus, the state, the people and the institutions must cooperate and the time is not for settling scores or bickering,” Nasrallah added.
Noting that the objective of containing the disease is “realistic and achievable,” Nasrallah said success requires “a decision, a will, patience and an accurate follow-up.”
“Until the world discovers a cure for this pandemic, the objective must be to limit the spread of the virus as well as human losses,” he said.
“People's lives are the priority. The academic year and the economic losses can be compensated,” he added.
Addressing citizens, he urged them to pray in their homes and not to go to mosques and churches.
“I urge people to fully abide by the government's instructions… All people must be transparent if they have any symptoms,” Hizbullah’s leader said.
He also warned that it is a “religious duty” to abide by the instructions of the health authorities.
Lebanon has so far confirmed 78 coronavirus cases among them three fatalities.
On Wednesday, the country closed restaurants and cafes and announced the suspension of flights from 11 virus-hit 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.
Health Minister Hamad Hasan said Thursday that Lebanon cannot declare an official state of emergency seeing as that would harm daily income workers.
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13 March 2020, 21:35
Nasrallah: I call on banks to act responsibly. You have a lot of money and you have made huge profit and now you must shoulder your responsibility. You are the first side that must offer help to the government, the health sector and social solidarity, so that the people and the country can triumph.
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13 March 2020, 21:31
Nasrallah: We put all our capabilities, health cadres, manpower and institutions at the government’s disposal and it’s up to it to declare a state of emergency.
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13 March 2020, 21:13
Nasrallah: I call on people to pray in their homes and not to go to mosques and churches.
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13 March 2020, 21:12
Nasrallah: I urge people to fully abide by the government's instructions.
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13 March 2020, 21:10
Nasrallah: The Iranian officials have been transparent about the coronavirus cases in Iran.
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13 March 2020, 21:09
Nasrallah on coronavirus transparency: The biggest liar on earth has been Trump.
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13 March 2020, 21:08
Nasrallah: The Health Ministry has been transparent from the first day and all claims about a cover-up by the ministry or Hizbullah are baseless and mere lies.
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13 March 2020, 21:04
Nasrallah: All people must be transparent if they have any symptoms.
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13 March 2020, 21:02
Nasrallah: There is no problem in critics voicing their opinions, but we must shun divisions and I hope you will not discriminate regionally, racially or confessionally over this virus. We are before a humanitarian battle par excellence.
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13 March 2020, 20:59
Nasrallah: It is a religious duty to abide by the instructions of the health authorities.
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13 March 2020, 20:57
Nasrallah: In the battle against coronavirus, the state, the people and the institutions must cooperate and the time is not for settling scores or bickering.
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13 March 2020, 20:54
Nasrallah has warned against bickering over the issue of coronavirus.
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13 March 2020, 20:52
Nasrallah: The objective (of containing the disease) is realistic and achievable but it needs a decision, a will, patience and an accurate follow-up.
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13 March 2020, 20:49
Nasrallah: We have the Chinese experience which indicates that the pandemic can be contained.
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13 March 2020, 20:47
Nasrallah: Until the world discovers a cure for this pandemic, the objective must be to limit the spread of the virus as well as human losses.
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13 March 2020, 20:43
Nasrallah: All authorities in Lebanon and all citizens and residents must shoulder their responsibilities.
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13 March 2020, 20:40
Nasrallah: People's lives are the priority. The academic year and the economic losses can be compensated.
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13 March 2020, 20:40
Nasrallah: People in Lebanon have been divided over the "panic" term.
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13 March 2020, 20:39
Nasrallah: Coronavirus is threatening the entire world.
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13 March 2020, 20:38
Nasrallah: The coronavirus is still being analyzed in order to reach treatments.
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13 March 2020, 20:37
Nasrallah on coronavirus: We are in the middle of a battle that resembles a world war.
13 March 2020, 21:18
02
"The Iranian officials have been transparent about the coronavirus cases in Iran."
Is this guy for real??? Not until government officials started to throw in the towels did they admit there was a problem.
13 March 2020, 21:25
03
Nasrallah: "It is a religious duty to abide by the instructions of the health authorities"
This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard! Not everything is an Ayatollah decreed religious duty ya teyss jahil. It's actually a civic duty and one's public obligation when there's such a pandemic. That's something not you nor your party took into consideration when you put pressure on the government to let in that initial Iranian plane. Your own hand picked health minister admitted that the decisions to let the plane land with an infected woman was political!
13 March 2020, 21:45
03
I guess he is a health expert in addition to his 'expertise' on fixing the economy. shm
14 March 2020, 04:06
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This is the most confused speech he's given. This was not the usual organised self assured Nasrallah. He's obviously terrified knowing that, because his interference slowed the government's reactions to containing the virus, his own community brought the virus into the Lebanon, caused it's dissemination by not getting quarantined and is now also the most infected and in danger. The speech in the original Arabic make even less sense that the translation and shows his utter confusion. And what the hell does Trump have to do with the virus spreading in Lebanon from Iran or the initial Iranian lies and coronavirus infections cover-ups. Do the Iranians pay him a bonus on top of his regular salary if he mentions Trump?
14 March 2020, 12:50
01
Every one watch this... watch how "transparent" the Iranian are... (2 videos attached in the article)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/iran-coronavirus-outbreak-graves/
14 March 2020, 13:04
01
Honestly, I haven't heard nor read his speech, but I have this growing feeling that the Iranian Supreme Leader is infected and that all that hocus pocus is to prepare the people for his inevitable death!
14 March 2020, 16:35
01
God bless hezbollah aka the Lebanese government for protecting us from all dangers and viruses.
