Lebanon to Ease COVID-19 Restrictions against Expert Advice

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon will further ease restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 Monday, ahead of originally set date and against expert advice that it was premature to do so.

Authorities, under pressure from powerful business and trade associations, had announced in early February a four-stage plan to ease a virtually total lockdown imposed Jan. 14, over eight weeks, but a ministerial committee decided this week to accelerate the reopening with most shops and businesses set to reopen Monday while schools are set to resume classes from March 8.

The initial lockdown managed to drive down the number of cases in the country, but as the easing of the measures and rise of violations, a rise in infections has been recorded over past week, raising concerns that things could quickly deteriorate if restrictions are removed.

"As we embark on opening shops and malls tomorrow, and schools the week after, one cannot blame many for having the impression that all things COVID are gradually getting better," Dr. Firass Abiad, the head of the main governmental hospital dealing with the disease, tweeted Sunday. "They are not down, and it is disingenuous to say the least, not to be forthcoming with the public."

Lebanon began a vaccination campaign two weeks ago but it has been off to a slow, shaky start. It has so far received just over 100,000 Pfizer jabs with only less than half of those administered into the arms of health care workers and people over the age of 75.

The country has so far seen more than 4,650 deaths and 370,000 infections in the pandemic.