New Coronavirus Cases in Lebanon Hit Record 71

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon recorded 71 new coronavirus cases Friday, the highest daily tally in the country for the second day in a row as the head of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital warned that the situation was “very worrisome.”

The total number of registered infections in the country reached 2,082, the Health Ministry reported.

Alarmingly, 67 of the new coronavirus cases were detected locally, with a large cluster of 34 cases detected in Roumieh. Just four cases were among travelers from abroad.

Sixty-six new coronavirus cases were detected Thursday but a third of the cases were detected among travelers from abroad. The recent spike in cases has alarmed Firias Abiad, the head of RHUH, who warned earlier Friday that Lebanon “might be heading for a storm.”

Abiad said that the week is likely to see the highest total tally of new coronavirus cases.

However, testing capacity may partially explain the higher number of new cases, as a total of 4,563 PCR tests were administered over the last 24 hours. Daily testing for the majority of Lebanon’s 4-month-old lockdown has normally been below 2,000.

Social distancing measures are still in place but the lockdown has been easing with restaurants, cafes and nightclubs being permitted to reopen over the last month.

Rafik Hariri International Airport opened on July 1, with an estimated 2,000 travelers arriving in the country each day.