The Public Relations Division of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) stated on Monday, through its Twitter account, that, until the morning of November 23rd, a total of 25,524 fines have been issued so far for violators of the recent general mobilization.
Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan has previously warned that the security forces will be extremely strict with violators of the 2-week lockdown implemented after Lebanon registered consecutive high records in recent daily COVID-19 cases.
Yet, cases have continued to surge as authorities started the total lockdown on November 14th that is expected to end on November 30th.
However, people have been challenging it, notably during the past weekend of Independence Day to protest, demanding justice for Beirut and its victims of August 4th, and calling for “true independence.”
While people’s anger is mounting with the passing days without any justice materializing, since August 4th, the pandemic continues to rage through the country.
On Monday, Lebanon recorded 1,041 new coronavirus cases and 11 new deaths. Authorities announced a COVID-19 vaccine would arrive in Lebanon at the end of the winter season. However, doctors declared their refusal of a vaccine that it is still under trial, urging the authorities for a state of a health emergency.
Of the new cases, only 14 were found among travelers arriving from abroad, bringing the total number of registered cases in the country to 117,476.
The Health Ministry reported that a total of 6,171 tests had been administered in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate of the tests in the last two weeks has stood at 14.9%. A total of 911 people have died of coronavirus related complications since the disease was first detected in February.
However, in a positive development, the World Health Organization in Lebanon reported that the number of Intensive Care Unit beds had increased from 372 to 427 on November 20th, after the health sector was struggling to take in more patients.
The total number of coronavirus patients in the ICU is 339 according to the Health Ministry.
Authorities have stated that if the numbers, over 1,000 every day, do not decline at the end of the lockdown, an extension is possible.
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