Coronavirus: Lebanon Edges Back Toward Normal Life

By Staff, Agencies

Life edged closer to its normal pace in Lebanon Monday as more establishments were allowed to reopen and curfew hours were reduced as COVID-19 cases remained relatively stable.

Streets were busy as more people resumed working from their offices, after having worked from home for the last three months.

The Lebanese Interior Ministry's instructions to ease coronavirus restrictions kicked in Monday morning, with malls, which were previously banned from opening due to the high probability of over-crowdedness, reopening their doors in addition to museums.

Malls were fairly empty on their first day back in business, as some shoppers walked around cautiously with coronavirus prevention measures in place.

The ministry’s latest memo also ordered curfew hours to be reduced, allowing citizens to be out and about until midnight, a notable change to the previously set 7 p.m. curfew.

Residents welcomed this decision, as many found it difficult to navigate their daily lives with the previous rules.

As the country entered a phase of relaxed measures, head of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital Firas Abiad, called on the authorities, businesses, communities and individuals to make necessary adjustments to face the virus.

“People feel fatigued. They are social beings, and want their life back even if social distancing rules are flaunted,” he added.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan also called on the Lebanese people to follow preventive measures against COVID-19.

“These measures [to lift restrictions] were taken because the internal data is good, even though we have an increase in the number of infections,” Hassan told local newspaper Al-Joumhouria in an interview published Monday, noting that most of the cases were among repatriates.

Hassan further reaffirmed the importance of wearing masks as an essential part of the battle against the spread of the virus.