Lebanon to Enter Eye of COVID-19 Storm Mid-January

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon will face a surge of COVID-19 cases after the holiday season, with the worst to come around mid-January, caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan warned Tuesday.

"What is happening is not right," Hassan said in reference to the lack of popular adherence to anti-virus measures during the Christmas and New Year period. "It places us in the eye of the storm after January 10."

The minister, whose comments were carried by the state-run National News Agency, said the debate over a new nationwide lockdown was meaningless, vowing to continue to implement strict measures in towns and villages that see a surge in infections. He reiterated that vaccines would begin to arrive in Lebanon in mid-February.

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, meanwhile, said the authorities will take a decision next week on whether to order a lockdown.

"We are going towards a lockdown if coronavirus cases rise and there is no adherence [to restrictions]," Diab told reporters. "We will decide on Monday."

Lebanon has seen more than 1,400 deaths and 172,000 cases since February.

A recent rise in cases has put a severe strain on Lebanon’s medical services in the midst of an acute economic and financial crisis.