Lebanon Records 2,861 New COVID-19 Cases, 13 Deaths

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered 2,861 new coronavirus cases and 13 deaths in a 24-hour period Monday, as authorities announced the country would be going under a 25-day lockdown this week.

As Lebanon witnessed a third significant surge in virus cases after restrictions were eased during the holidays, the government Monday imposed another lockdown set to begin on Jan. 7 until Feb. 1.

Among the newly recorded cases, 35 were among incoming travelers, according to the Health Ministry report, bringing the total number of cases since the virus was first detected in late February to 192,139. The total number of deaths now stands at 1,499.

A total of 14,854 PCR tests have been administered in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate of the tests in the last two weeks stood at 14.1 percent.

Authorities and health experts warn of a catastrophic situation as the health care sector cannot handle the current cases in addition to a looming disaster set to materialize at the beginning of next week as a result of the numerous gatherings and events on New Year's Eve.