Lebanon Confirms 1,241 Coronavirus Cases, 5 Deaths

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered 1,241 new coronavirus cases Wednesday and five more deaths, the Health Ministry said.

No cases were detected among incoming travelers. There are now a total of 65,577 coronavirus cases recorded in Lebanon since the virus was first detected on Feb. 21.

A total of 536 people have died from coronavirus complications.

More than 13,000 PCR tests were administered within the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry report, with a positivity rate of 11.1 percent in the last 14 days.

Laxity toward coronavirus prevention measures and localized lockdowns continue among people, as many prioritize their economic reality and livelihood over their health.

In Beirut, where numbers are surging, many restaurants and bars remain open with little adherence to social distancing measures.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan has publicly admitted that localized lockdowns have so far proven unsuccessful in preventing the spread of the virus, stating that it would now be necessary to expand such measures to larger cities.

The number of daily cases has consistently remained over 1,000 over the last two weeks despite the government imposing localized lockdowns on 169 villages and towns last week.