Lebanon now has a total of 520 COVID-19 cases, according to the daily report of the Ministry of Public Health. The report, released on Saturday, April 4th, said that 12 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours.
The new cases tested positive out of 550 tests conducted in the same period, as per the Health Ministry.
The report said that no new deaths were recorded today, which means the total of COVID-19-related fatalities in Lebanon remains 17.
On the other hand, 4 new recoveries have been recorded since yesterday, and the total number of recoveries has reached 50, according to Rafik Hariri University Hospital.
The active cases became 453 on Saturday, with the number of severe cases reaching 26 in total.
Here’s what’s happening in Lebanon today
Schools and online classes will be temporarily suspended
Minister of Education and Higher Education Tarek Al-Majzoub issued a circular ordering private and public schools and colleges, as well as online classes, to be suspended from April 9th until the 13th, and from April 16th until the 20th. This comes in commemoration of Good Friday and Easter.
Mount Lebanon municipalities prepare new quarantine centers
The Governor of Mount Lebanon, Judge Mohammad Al-Makkawi, told Elnashra that, “currently, the priority is to secure quarantine centers.” He explained that chalets are being prepared in some municipalities of the governorate to be used as new quarantine units upon their approval by the Health Ministry.
$320 million dollars spent on the Bisri Dam project
Minister of Energy and Water Raymond Ghajar said in a press conference that stopping the Bisri Dam project at this stage would mean “wasting public money.” Ghajar explained that 2 IMF loans were taken and about $320 million dollars have been spent on the project so far.
A new emergency unit in Akkar
The northern village of Jdeidet Al-Qayta launched an emergency unit tasked with surveying the population and identifying the neediest people of the village. The aim of this process is to provide the poor and the ill with the aid they need in terms of food, medicine, financial support, and seasonal seeds for landowners.
Security forces inspect Saida’s vegetable market
Internal Security Forces, alongside Municipal Police and Civil Defense personnel, patrolled the southern area of Siniq in Saida, where the city’s popular vegetable market is located. The patrols roamed the market and ensured that people were committing to proper preventive measures against COVID-19.
The latest worldwide COVID-19 news
The Falkland Islands confirms its first case
The government of the South American Falkland Islands confirmed its first case of COVID-19. The patient was hospitalized on March 31st after showing symptoms of the disease and later tested positive for it, according to the government’s official statement.
India warns of a lockdown extension
The Indian Health Minister of the western state of Maharashtra told Reuters that the currently-active lockdown “could be extended in Mumbai and urban areas of Maharashtra by two weeks,” if people do not adhere to the rules and COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise.
Silence in China
In a three-minute nationwide silence, China mourned the 3,000+ patients and medical staff who were killed by COVID-19. Sirens and horns sounded in Wuhan and across the country as citizens fell silent in memory of the victims of the pandemic.
Thousands arrested in Central America
Over 7,000 people were recently detained in several Central American countries, including Honduras, El Salvador, and Panama, for violating their respective governments’ rules on social distancing, home-quarantine, and other preventive measures against COVID-19.
Turkey imposes curfew on people below 20
To contain the COVID-19 outbreak, Turkish officials have introduced new restrictions, including shutting down the borders of 31 cities and imposing a partial curfew. The new curfew applies to all people below 20 years of age, starting at midnight on Friday.
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