It seems that people in Lebanon are still not taking the coronavirus issue seriously. Despite the country-wide lockdown of schools, universities, businesses, retail shops, banks, and basically everything except pharmacies and grocery stores, people still seem to neglect the importance of quarantine.
This violation of quarantine rules issued by the government to wane the spread of coronavirus comes just days after the police tore down the revolutionaries’ tents in Martyr’s Square for breaching the government-set curfew.
In addition, the government initially deployed the military to enforce quarantine, who wrote up fines to many people on the basis of violating lockdown. One of them, a taxi driver, was in such despair after receiving the fine that he ended up setting his car on fire.
But now, it seems like there has been a loss of control over general mobilization. Clearly, people are getting bored of staying indoors.
In addition, many are using the time before the curfew to run errands like withdrawing money from ATMs and buy groceries. Especially, with the start of a new month and another 12 days of lockdown.
In contrast to when Lebanon was a ghost town at the beginning of the coronavirus scare, this video (below) by MTV Lebanon visually shows footage of the traffic around the country.
As of April 1st, coronavirus cases in Lebanon have increased to 479 and a total of 12 fatalities with seven people in critical condition.
The Ministry of Health recently announced the names of government hospitals across Lebanon that are ready to receive coronavirus patients and allocated $600 million to medical equipment, a signal that the government is preparing for the worst.
Stay home!
Get the latest news and updates about the coronavirus outbreak in Lebanon along with a live monitor of cases in Lebanon as well as resources and information to help you guide the outbreak on our dedicated coronavirus page.
