Lebanon’s government has ordered a partial shutdown in the country amid concerns over an increase in coronavirus cases and repeated false results in PCR tests.
The government says a five-day partial lockdown will begin Thursday followed by two days of rest before another five-day partial lockdown. During the lockdown, indoor swimming pools, pubs, malls, banks, night clubs and markets will be closed.
All sports events and religious gatherings will be canceled, while people over 65 will be told to stay at home.
The Higher Defense Council also decided to extend the so-called general mobilization to confront the pandemic until August 30.
“Without the measures, the coronavirus will spread rapidly in our society, and the outcome will be very painful. There must be a determination to deal with this danger that we are facing,” Prime Minister Hassan Diab said following the cabinet session.
The PM said he was aware of the difficulties of a partial lockdown given the economic crisis. “But people's lives are more important than the economy.”
Lebanon registered 141 new cases of coronavirus and three more deaths because of COVID-19 on Tuesday. The new numbers raise the total cases in Lebanon to 4,023 and 54 deaths.
The Minister of Health said the numbers indicate a dangerous situation.
This week, a scandal on false PCR tests came to light.
Lebanese Forces MP George Okais announced Monday that he did not have coronavirus after it was revealed that his PCR test result was incorrect.
“The Health Minister informed me ... that the result of my first test carried out Friday was wrong, as the sample was taken to another laboratory and turned out to be negative,” Okais tweeted.
The same thing happened with the head of the Foreign Minister’s office, Hadi Hashem, and 14 volunteers from the Red Cross.
“Investigations should be carried out to reveal the reasons behind such outcome to avoid a recurrence,” Pierre Abi Hanna, head of infectious diseases at Rafic Hariri Hospital, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday.
In a non-related development, Lebanese security forces have arrested two Syrians who allegedly forged PCR tests for Syrian nationals wanting to leave the country.
A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat the issue should not be a cause of concern because those tests were conducted for Syrians to show a negative result for those wishing to travel to their homeland.
