Breaking: Caretaker Minister Just Tested Positive For Coronavirus

The Daily Star | Anwar Amro/AFP

The pandemic continues to spread across the country, affecting citizens and officials with no discrimination to their roles or status.

After caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe, it is Lebanon’s caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport, Michel Najjar, that tested positive with the coronavirus.

He just announced it, asserting that he is nonetheless “in good health and not feeling any symptoms” despite the result of his PCR test taken a day earlier, on Saturday.

In his announcement, he urged those who have come in contact with him to undertake the test.

Najjar is currently self-quarantined, as he said, and will continue his ministerial work virtually, through the available technologies.

Among other politicians who have recently tested positive, after the coronavirus broke through the presidential palace affecting over 100 people, are MP Eddy Maalouf of the Strong Lebanon bloc, and Gebran Bassil, head of the FPM.

Lebanon continues to implement new measures to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus. It has just updated its list of towns that must go under lockdown for at least a week. These are the 79 towns the authorities deem at high risk as of the time of writing.

We have a dedicated coronavirus section where you can find the latest news/updates about the pandemic in Lebanon, inform yourself with WHO-verified resources, and track the number of cases in Lebanon in real-time. Click here.