Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan Monday called for a two-week lockdown as the country witnessed a huge spike in coronavirus cases in the wake of the Beirut Port blast.
“We need a brave decision to close [the country] for two weeks,” Hasan said in comments made to the Voice of Lebanon radio station, declaring the country in a state of “general alert.”
He explained that the upcoming lockdown would be carried out in three parts: the airport, the city of Beirut, and other areas.
“The increase in numbers was justified when we opened up the country in the beginning of July,” Hasan said, adding that the blast greatly affected the numbers which are beginning to appear now.
He warned that Lebanon is before a real challenge when it comes to coronavirus, as the country registered “shocking” numbers last week.
Lebanon confirmed a record-breaking number of daily coronavirus cases last week, Sunday being the highest to date, at 439 cases with the death toll crossing the 100-mark.
The country was in the middle of a partial lockdown when the Beirut Port blast occurred, pulling the brakes on all coronavirus containment measures.
In the wake of the blast on Aug. 4, protests, funerals for victims, vigils and volunteer work in the affected areas all posed a risk for spreading the virus.
Meanwhile Petra Khoury, health adviser to the caretaker prime minister, said the percentage of weekly positive cases rose from 2.1 percent to 5.6 percent in the matter of four weeks.
“This average (greater than 5 percent) represents a real threat to our entire nation,” she tweeted Monday.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
