In light of the critical situation that Lebanon is facing with the increasing number of coronavirus cases, and the spreading fear among the citizens, Public Health Minister Hamad Hassan reassured on Monday that coronavirus is “not a pandemic” and that the situation is reassuring.
Minister Hamad Hassan said in an interview with Voice of Lebanon that “the number of people infected with the Coronavirus is ten in Lebanon and all of them came from abroad. It means that no transmission of any infection was recorded, and the virus did not turn into a pandemic.”
He believed that “the matter is reassuring as long as the global guidelines and directives of the Ministry of Health are adhered to, and the municipalities and security forces play their role.”
According to him, family awareness in regards to resorting to quarantine when in doubt of infection is the highest preventive level to avoid the spread of the virus.
He stressed that the coronavirus is “at a testing stage in all countries of the world and its repercussions may be negative for the elderly and those suffering from incurable diseases. He emphasized the importance of adhering to self-hygiene and limited movement.
The Minister of Public Health also indicated that he began work to reduce flights from Iran and Italy by allowing only Lebanese citizens to return to their homeland, and to foreigners holding valid legal residency.
He has earlier confirmed in a statement “three laboratory-confirmed cases infected with the newly emerging coronavirus,” reaching a total of 13 cases until this moment.
According to the Ministry, “The new cases are proved to have been in contact with previously infected persons and were placed in quarantine. The patients are currently in isolation rooms in Rafic Hariri Governmental University Hospital and their condition is stable.”
In this regard, the Ministry is working on preventing the spread of the virus with various measures.
He also called on all Lebanese ex-pats from countries experiencing a local spread of the virus “to strictly adhere to domestic isolation measures, and when any symptoms appear, immediately call 76592699.”
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