As an additional preventive measure against coronavirus (COVID-19), all citizens in Lebanon are now obliged to wear face masks, the Lebanese Ministry of Interior and Municipalities said on Tuesday, May 26th.
The Ministry released a statement on Tuesday morning, urging citizens, “especially in areas where the proportion of compliance with the required preventive measures is low,” to “protect themselves, their families, and their communities.”
The statement asserted the importance of implementing general safety standards and emphasized “the mandatory wearing of a face mask to cover the nose and mouth.”
Moreover, it stressed “the need to respect safe distances between people, especially while they are outside the house.”
On that note, the Interior Ministry announced that security forces “will begin distributing the masks at their disposal, for free.”
The distribution of 1 million face masks is scheduled to start today, Tuesday.
It also said that this measure came to be “due to the lack of commitment of some citizens to the measures of prevention and public safety, and in order to avoid stricter measures to prevent against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.”
In addition, the decision stemmed from the Ministry’s desire to “help in the cycle of economic advancement,” the statement explained.
In conclusion, the Interior Ministry reminded citizens that they can use “a washable piece of cloth as a mask in place of the one-time-use mask.”
In its turn, the General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces said that starting next Friday, security forces will begin issuing violation tickets with fines amounting to 50,000 Lebanese Pounds to enforce the face masks decision.
This fine will target “every person who does not wear a protective mask while traveling on foot or on public transport (taxi, van, bus),” the ISF declared.
The ISF explained that it is only permitted for three people who are not family members, including the driver, to be in a single personal car at once, provided that they all commit to wearing face masks.
On Tuesday, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health confirmed 21 new COVID-19 infections in Lebanon.
As of the time of writing, the country has a total of 1,140 confirmed infections, 425 of which are active cases.
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.