Covid-19 in Lebanon

Government Measures to Minimise the Economic Crisis

26 August: President Michel Aoun says reopening restaurants is vital for tourism and services revenues, but public health priorities will dictate when the sector may reopen. Aoun’s statement comes after AFP reported Lebanese restaurant owners stating they would reopen their facilities in defiance of lockdown measures implemented since last week.

19 August: UK sends 238,530 pieces of personal protective equipment to help “overstretched hospitals” in Beirut deal with Covid-19 patients, state news agency NNA reports. The World Health Organisation will distribute the face masks, overalls, gloves, goggles and gowns to hospitals across the city.

17 August: Minister of Public Health, Hamad Hassan, recommends that the World Bank’s $40m financial support to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, approved on 12 March, is used to pay private hospitals treating Covid-19 patients. Field hospital construction was also approved for north and south Lebanon.

12 August: World Health Organization requests $76m to support Lebanese efforts to combat Covid-19 after the explosions at the Port of Beirut leave 500 to 600 beds unavailable in public and private hospitals. At least half of 55 healthcare clinics and centres surveyed in Beirut are said to be non-functioning.

11 August: Health ministry within caretaker Lebanese government meets with Lebanese University official to discuss how the educational institution can support PCR testing operations for arrivals to the country, allowing the ministry to focus on increasing resident tests.

24 June: Reopened Rafik Hariri International airport to reduce number of flights from countries where the PCR tests are not available to passengers to 20 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, Arab News reports. Flights from countries that have the test will be at 80 per cent of previous levels. Those arriving from countries with PCR tests must produce the results, which must be less than four days old, during check-in. All passengers must be tested at Beirut airport.

26 August: General mobilisation extended until 31 December to curb Covid-19. Caretaker PM Hassan Diab says the public mobilisation drive is necessary “to protect people from a dangerous and frightening situation with its consequences”.

18 August: New lockdown and overnight curfew to be imposed for two weeks from 21 August. The curfew will last from 6pm-6am, and malls will be closed. Restaurants will be restricted to delivery services, and social gatherings will be banned. Beirut airport will operate normally and ministries will be staffed at half capacity. Areas where recovery work is under way following the Port of Beirut blasts are exempted from new restrictions.

17 August: Minister of Public Health, Hamad Hassan, calls for nationwide lockdown, adding: “Face masks are a matter of life or death, so people must wear them everywhere they go.” Hassan’s recommendation for a two-week lockdown excludes Beirut, and calls for special procedures to be implemented at the Port of Beirut, where blast recovery work is under way.

13 August: Hassan announces the extension of the state of emergency in Beirut for one month.

10 August: Hassan says Minister of Interior & Municipalities, Mohammad Fahmi, and Lebanese Army Commander, Joseph Aoun, have been contacted to discuss the isolation of some districts due to a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. This excludes Beirut, where clean-up activities are under way.

27 July: Hassan slams lack of compliance with precautionary measures and confirms the country will reimpose a two-week lockdown from 30 July. Arab News reported he added that the community outbreak of the disease was beginning to take a “dangerous turn” and he regretted “the lack of community discipline and disregard for all preventive measures imposed on people.” Passengers arriving through Beirut International airport must carry a negative Covid-19 test result from their port of departure and will have to stay in quarantine for two days at their own expense in special centres, pending the results of a second PCR test at the airport.

14 July: Fines ranging from £Leb550,000 to £Leb5m said to have been introduced for individuals not wearing masks.