The Committee of Restaurant Owners and the Ministry of Health denied claims that have been circulating by media news about the ability of the coronavirus to spread through the consumption of seafood.
In a statement to Al-Jadeed, they said: “All seafood imports will be subjected to the most intensive regulations using labs found in the ministries of health and agriculture in Lebanon. So, we won’t allow any defective products to enter the country.”
However, they added that the virus cannot be transmitted to a living human from a dead animal rather that it is transmitted through respiratory systems.
The statement issued: “The minister of health had announced two days ago that the disease can be transmitted within 12 hours but it dies, therefore it won’t make it to Lebanon in time for the virus to be still alive. Studies from around the world have shown that it cannot be transmitted through the consumption of seafood.”
Since the beginning of 2020, the Coronavirus has hit headlines as being the scariest epidemic that had recently hit the world.
The virus began spreading in Wuhan, China, and then across the world to Europe, the United States, Australia, and many other countries.
Despite all the panic, however, the Ministry of Health, headed by Dr. Hamad Hassan, and the World Health Organization (WHO) had assured the public that there are no reported cases of the virus in Lebanon or among the Lebanese who are residing in China.
The ministry has taken measures at the Rafik el-Hariri airport to ensure that the Lebanese arriving from China aren’t infected with the virus. They have also prepared a facility to treat anyone who was infected with the virus.
There is currently no treatment for the virus; however, there has been some progress made in treating many of its symptoms.