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Lebanon Losing Control over Covid-19 Outbreak

A woman shops at a crowded market in Sabra, Beirut suburbs, Lebanon, May 13, 2020. (Reuters)
A woman shops at a crowded market in Sabra, Beirut suburbs, Lebanon, May 13, 2020. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Losing Control over Covid-19 Outbreak

A woman shops at a crowded market in Sabra, Beirut suburbs, Lebanon, May 13, 2020. (Reuters)
A woman shops at a crowded market in Sabra, Beirut suburbs, Lebanon, May 13, 2020. (Reuters)

Lebanese authorities have isolated several towns in light of a significant increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country.

The head of the parliamentary health committee, MP Assem Araji, said that Lebanon has lost control over the outbreak of the virus.

“It is very difficult to control it if we continue to proceed in the same way,” he said, adding: “There are procedures that have been put in place since the outbreak of the epidemic in February, including the need to wear a mask, adhere to social distancing rules and disinfection, but they are not applied properly.”

In a radio interview, Araji emphasized the need to implement preventive measures, in the absence of a vaccine at the present time.

“This is the most effective way to stop the spread,” he noted.

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab held a meeting on Friday at the Grand Serail with the ministerial committee following up on the outbreak of the pandemic. The meeting discussed “the necessary measures to face the outbreak, especially in the regions that recorded the highest rates of infections.”

The crisis cell in Fneideq in Akkar, North Lebanon, in cooperation with the municipal police, took a decision to close all entrances to the town.

Also in the North, the municipal council of Al-Qobayat announced a general closure until Sunday Oct. 4.

Lebanon’s total number of COVID-19 cases increased on Friday by 1,143 to 33,962 while the death toll went up by four to 333, the Health Ministry said.

It is the highest single-day increase since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Lebanon on Feb. 21.

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Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
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Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS

The election of a new president in Lebanon does not mean the country has come out of the economic and political crises which have gutted it for years. Yet Thursday’s vote marks the beginning of a new phase that carries many challenges for the president and the upcoming government.

It is Joseph Aoun’s responsibility now to appoint a prime minister following binding parliamentary consultations and then form the Cabinet together with the PM.

According to observers, Aoun’s term should carry a roadmap to salvage the country, and a clear plan to address crises and domestic and foreign challenges.

However, there is no magic wand to solve Lebanon’s entire crises.

Instead, Aoun needs a unified working team that should draft a clear ministerial statement that reflects the President’s inaugural speech and his pledge of a “new era” for Lebanon.

“The president's speech constitutes a detailed program for governance. However, his program needs a cabinet capable of implementing it,” former Minister Ibrahim Najjar told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Najjar described the new President as an honest, clean and courageous Lebanese man.

“His election must be followed by the formation of a bold cabinet with new faces, capable of working and making achievements,” he said.

“The Lebanese people expect President Aoun to change the quota-based mentality of politicians. They hope his term will help remove old political figures, who are rooted in the Lebanese quagmire,” the former minister noted.

Former MP Fares Souaid told Asharq Al-Awsat that Aoun’s first task is to implement the Constitution and the National Accord document.

“In the early 1990s, the Constitution was no longer being implemented due to the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. In 2005, the Constitution was again ignored because of Iranian arms.”

Therefore, Soueid said, the Lebanese eagerly expect this new era to constitute a real opportunity for the implementation of both documents.

For years, Lebanon has failed to properly implement its Constitution and UN resolutions, mainly because some political parties had considered their implementation as “a target against their so-called resistance.”

“With the election of President Joseph Aoun, Lebanon has opened a blank page that could meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people, and write a new chapter in the country’s history,” Najjar said.

According to Soueid, Aoun has a task to return Lebanon to its Arab identity. “This is slowly beginning to show through the decline of Iranian influence in the region,” he said.

Also, Soueid said, the new President should mend Lebanon’s relations with the international community by implementing all UN resolutions.

Addressing Parliament and Lebanese people with an acceptance speech, Aoun on Thursday vowed that the Lebanese authorities will have the monopoly on arms and will be committed to a strong state that will extend its sovereignty over the entire territory.

“This is in line with UN resolutions, which if implemented, will bring Lebanon back to the Arab and international scene,” Soueid said.