Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi has directed South Lebanon Governor Mansour Daou and security forces to shut down a party taking place in the southern town of Maghdoucheh.
On the night before the lockdown, a restaurant in the southern town was throwing a party that was completely booked, with reservations reportedly exceeding 250%.
Shockingly, Lebanon saw several irresponsible pre-lockdown parties on the night before the 25-day lockdown. While some resto-pubs canceled their planned parties, others did not.
The Minister of Health himself was reportedly seen at a large pre-lockdown lunch gathering with the Minister of Economy and other people with no commitment to the preventive measures’ rules.
The country saw a surge in infections after the holidays due to gatherings and parties that took place over Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
On Wednesday, Lebanon registered a record high of coronavirus infections for the second day in the row, a number exceeding 4,000 cases.
Patients are on a desperate hunt for hospital beds as hospitals across the country are overwhelmed and can no longer take in COVID-19 cases.
Health experts are warning that the situation is only to get worse before Lebanon gets its first shipment of vaccines in mid-February.
Lebanese authorities are set to take stricter measures in dealing with lockdown violations. The prosecution can even include jail time in some cases.
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