Lebanon Registers 605 COVID-19 Cases A Day Before Second Lockdown

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon confirmed a record 605 new coronavirus cases and four deaths Thursday, on the eve of a second nationwide lockdown.

Of the new cases, 597 were found among the local population and eight among travelers from abroad. There has been a total of 113 deaths due to coronavirus complications and 10,952 people have tested positive since the virus arrived in the country on Feb. 21.

The new cases were detected among 6,340 PCR tests conducted in the last 24 hours.

Lebanon started on Friday a two-week lockdown as cases have surged since July.

The positivity rate among tests conducted on the local population was 0.82 percent in June and 2.14 percent in July. On Thursday the positivity rate, among the local population and travelers, was 9.54 percent.

Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan warned in an interview with the Voice of Lebanon radio station Monday that most COVID-19 intensive care units and wards in public hospitals are full, and that a similar situation is to be found in “most private hospitals.”

The lockdown will be implemented from Aug. 21 until Sept. 6, during which curfew will be reinstated from 06:00 to 18:00 every day. Malls will be shut and social events and gatherings of any kind will be banned.

Grocery stores will be permitted to operate from 06:00 to 17:00. Gyms, restaurants, bars, cafes and nightclubs will be ordered to close. Public pools and beaches will also close.

Restaurants will be permitted to operate between the hours of 06:00 to 18:00 only for delivery.

A previous weekend lockdown was canceled in the wake of a huge blast at Beirut Port on Aug. 4. In the days after the blast, thousands gathered to protest the government and to help in areas damaged by the explosion.

The blast also seriously damaged four hospitals and damaged 13 others.