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Lebanon’s Health Ministry: We Have Not Reached A Dangerous Phase

People wear face masks on the streets of Beirut, Lebanon. (AFP)
People wear face masks on the streets of Beirut, Lebanon. (AFP)
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Lebanon’s Health Ministry: We Have Not Reached A Dangerous Phase

People wear face masks on the streets of Beirut, Lebanon. (AFP)
People wear face masks on the streets of Beirut, Lebanon. (AFP)

The Ministry of Public Health said that Lebanon did not reach a dangerous phase, despite the noticeable increase in the number of coronavirus infections over the past week.

Eighteen new infections were recorded on Thursday, including three among repatriated citizens, which brought the cumulative number to 1,662 cases. The ministry is currently conducting massive PCR tests in areas that have seen a high number of infections.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, sources at the Health Ministry stressed that Lebanon has not reached a dangerous point in the virus outbreak, saying: “We are still in the containment period; even if there is a slight increase in the number of cases, this does not mean that we have reached the point of danger. This is because most cases are asymptomatic, and do not require hospitalization.”

The sources pointed out that stable numbers do not mean easing preventive measures, “because negligence may lead to bad repercussions.”

Meanwhile, two neighborhoods were isolated in the area of Ghobeiri within the Baabda district, as more than 20 infections were reported. The municipality, in cooperation with the Health Ministry, conducted one hundred PCR tests and distributed antiseptic products for families in home quarantine.

Concern prevailed in the Beddawi refugee camp in northern Lebanon after four new infections were recorded. Atef Khalil, the secretary of the Palestinian factions in the north, noted that the PCR tests conducted in the camp showed that there was no spread of the virus.

“There are no coronavirus cases within the camp, except for four cases from the same family working at the Tripoli Port and living in Beddawi,” he said.

The Tripoli Port administration announced that a medical team from the Ministry of Public Health carried out PCR examinations for more than 120 workers and employees, adding all the results were negative.

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Lebanese PM's Office Denies US Asked Lebanon to Declare Unilateral Ceasefire with Israel

27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)
27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)
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Lebanese PM's Office Denies US Asked Lebanon to Declare Unilateral Ceasefire with Israel

27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)
27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)

The office of Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati on Friday denied that the US had asked Lebanon to declare a unilateral ceasefire, after two sources told Reuters that a US envoy had made the request to inject momentum into stalled talks on a deal to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.
In a statement to Reuters, Mikati's office said the government's stance was clear on seeking a ceasefire from both sides and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between the two foes in 2006.

Earlier, a senior Lebanese political source and a senior diplomat said the US had asked Lebanon to declare a unilateral ceasefire with Israel to revive stalled talks to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
They said the effort was communicated by US envoy Amos Hochstein to Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati this week, as the US stepped up diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The US embassy in Beirut did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The sources said the US sought to persuade Beirut to take back some initiative in the talks, particularly given the perception that Israel will likely continue military operations that have already killed most of Hezbollah's leadership and destroyed much of the country's south.
Lebanon's armed forces are not involved in the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which began firing rockets at Israeli military sites a year ago in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas in Gaza.
Any effort to reach a ceasefire would need a green light from Hezbollah, which has ministers in Lebanon's cabinet and whose members and allies hold a significant number of seats in Lebanon's parliament.
Diplomats mediate with Hezbollah through the group's ally, Lebanese speaker of parliament Nabih Berri. Hezbollah has said it backs efforts by Berri to reach a ceasefire but says it must meet certain parameters, without providing details.
But a unilateral declaration was seen as a non-starter in Lebanon, the sources said, where it would likely be equated with a surrender.
DIPLOMATIC INITIATIVE
Another diplomat told Reuters that Hochstein had made a similar proposal months ago to Mikati and Berri.
Hochstein told them that if Hezbollah unilaterally declared a ceasefire, he "could have something to present" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a diplomatic initiative.
"His exact words were, 'help me, help you," the diplomat said, adding that then-Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah rejected the idea. Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air attack on Sept. 27 on Beirut's southern suburbs.
Despite its losses, Hezbollah has maintained that the Iran-backed group's chain of command is intact and its fighters have kept Israeli forces making ground incursions into Lebanon at bay.
The US has been pushing for a 60-day ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as a prelude to a fuller implementation of 1701, sources told Reuters this week.
Hochstein was in Israel on Thursday with White House envoy Brett McGurk, but they did not continue on to Lebanon.
Speaking about Lebanon on Thursday, Netanyahu said that "agreements, documents, proposals....are not the main point."
"The main point is our ability and determination to enforce security, thwart attacks against us, and act against the arming of our enemies, as necessary and despite any pressure and constraints. This is the main point," he said.