The number of cases of COVID-19 has increased quickly in the past week. Those most at risk are healthcare workers, like doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and emergency response personnel who put their lives at risk of infection to help the sick.
Up to Saturday noon, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lebanon reached 93, with 3 deaths and only 1-2 recoveries. Airplanes have been suspended, schools closed, gathering facilities shut down, and the country is on lockdown, unofficially.
In an attempt to protect pharmacists and patients entering pharmacies from the coronavirus spread, Lebanon’s Order of Pharmacists (OPL) released a circular instructing its members to implement certain precautionary measures:
- Masks should be worn by pharmacists during working hours.
- A sterilizer should be placed at the entrance of the pharmacy, and customers should be obligated to sanitize their hands before entering.
- The distance between the pharmacist and the patient should be 1.5 meters at least.
- A poster should be placed on the pharmacy entrance with the following instructions:
- Have you visited any of the countries where the epidemic is spreading within 15 days?
- Have you visited anyone returning from the countries where the epidemic has spread over the past 15 days?
- Do you suffer from coughing, fever, or shortness of breath?
If you answered YES to any of the above, please do not enter the pharmacy and immediately isolate yourself at home and call the 1214 hotline for further instructions.
OPL also suggested that a plexiglass barrier should be placed on the edge of the contour to serve the customers. Additionally, serving customers out of the window rather than entering the pharmacy is more advisable.
This comes after the Order of Pharmacists has closed down since March 12th and until 15th in all its branches in Lebanon.
