In the press conference that he held on Friday to disclose the latest updates with the spread of the COVID-19, Lebanese Minister of Public Health Hamad Hasan warned that the containment of the virus was no longer possible.
During the containment phase of an epidemic, health officials aim to prevent the virus from spreading by detecting and isolating infected individuals and everyone in direct contact with them.
And when a case is confirmed and isolated, the officials attempt to trace its source to confirm that it, too, is in quarantine. This process was going well since the first coronavirus (COVID-19) case was quarantined on February 21st.
However, as cases of an “unknown source” were announced by the Ministry of Public Health on Friday, the latter’s grip on the situation loosened a bit.
Out of the 6 new cases recorded by the ministry on this day, 1 is still being investigated to identify how it contracted the virus as it remains untraceable.
“All state-run hospitals have proven that they are the second line of defense; the first is the family,” Minister Hasan declared during the press conference.
He reiterated his instruction to the public to avoid crowding and minimize exposure to public places.
Schools will accordingly remain closed for an additional week, announced the Education Minister, and sports and scout activities were suspended by the Minister of Youth and Sport. Nightclubs have been also ordered to shut down.
