BEIRUT: Lebanon extended its coronavirus lockdown by two weeks on Tuesday after Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that the country risked a second wave of infections if curbs were relaxed.
Diab called on security services to “step up again to implement the general mobilization resolution,” warning that a second wave of infections might be more severe and widespread than the initial outbreak.
Lebanon’s Higher Defense Council recommended extending the lockdown until May 24 as a precautionary measure.
FASTFACT
Troops and security forces personnel were deployed in Tripoli’s neighborhoods after the government announced a crackdown on breaches of the lockdown.
A Lebanese man returning from Guinea in West Africa on a repatriation flight was the only new case of COVID-19 reported on Tuesday by the Ministry of Health.
Lebanon this week reopened its border crossings with Syria to allow Lebanese to return. The border had been closed to people since the lockdown began on on March 15, although transport crossings have continued.
The crossing points of Masnah and Aboudiyeh opened amid tight security and health controls, with plans for 100 Lebanese to return in two phases, with the second phase on Thursday.
HIGHLIGHTS
• A Lebanese man returning from Guinea in West Africa on a repatriation flight was the only new case of COVID-19 reported on Tuesday.
• Lebanon this week reopened its border crossings with Syria to allow Lebanese to return. The border had been closed to people since the lockdown began on on March 15, although transport crossings have continued.
Returning Lebanese will be transferred to hotels in the Bekaa and Akkar, where they will go into mandatory quarantine pending the results of a test for coronavirus.
Lebanon eased home quarantine measures this week, allowing more self-employed workers to return to work.
Troops and security forces personnel were deployed in Tripoli’s neighborhoods after the government announced a crackdown on breaches of the lockdown.
Public sector employees returned to work, with shift schedules limiting the number of staff present in offices.
The Ministry of Labor said staff are following safety guidelines that include social distancing and wearing protective masks.
Employees and customers will undergo body temperature testing daily, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, a judge in northern Lebanon ruled that prison inmates could be released even if they had to complete their pre-trial detention period.
The decision comes amid efforts by the Supreme Judicial Council and Ministry of Justice to limit the threat of coronavirus caused by overcrowding in detention centers and prisons.
