Coronavirus Lebanon: Tally Hits 267, Security Forces Step Up Preventive Measures

By Staff, Agencies

Growth in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Lebanon showed no sign of abating Monday, as the official tally hit 267.

Meanwhile, the UN force in south Lebanon registered the first case of coronavirus among its ranks. The peacekeeper is in “complete isolation at the UNIFIL Naqoura hospital and all the precautionary measures have been followed to prevent the further spread of the virus,” the body’s spokesperson in Lebanon Andrea Tenenti said in a statement.

Although 19 new cases were confirmed Monday – down from an alarming spike of 67 new cases Sunday – the overall trend remains one of an escalation in the number of new cases being recorded each day.

Security forces, meanwhile, have stepped up their measures to keep people from mixing in the past two days, following Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s Saturday address to the nation.

"I have ... charged the commands of the Army, the Internal Security Forces, the General Security and State Security to prepare and immediately implement additional plans to enforce the decision for citizens to stay at home unless for urgent matters and to ban gatherings," Diab said at the time.

The ISF issued 478 warnings to those in violation of the lockdown orders up until 7 p.m. Monday, according to the agency’s Twitter account.