Are you looking for exciting plans to celebrate the New Year’s Eve? Well, maybe you should think twice before engaging in extravagant plans.
Lebanon is recording more than 1,000 coronavirus cases every week. Only a couple month ago, the country’s coronavirus cases exceeded the 100,000 mark, forcing the Health Ministry to announce a second full nation-wide lockdown even during the toughest economic crisis.
However, the two-week lockdown was unsatisfactory, and citizens did not abide by the measures. Fines issued for lockdown violations in Lebanon even reached a higher total number in compared to the number of coronavirus cases.
Till today, fines are still being issued, as the Tourism Ministry on Monday announced that it had issued 831 fines and ordered 56 establishments to shut down for violating coronavirus prevention guidelines in recent months.
On Monday, 47 new cases were reported from travelers arriving from abroad, bringing the total number of cases in Lebanon since the virus was first detected in the country in late February to 172,820.
The total number of deaths now stands at 1,409. Active cases are currently 47,177, of which 420 are critical.
And then in January there’s going to be an “alarm” about increasing cases and there’ll be another 2-week lockdown. #Lebanon
— Halim Shebaya (حليم شبيعة) (@halimshebaya) December 13, 2020
Multiple establishments and social events are failing to adhere to safety measures during a critical time. New Year’s Eve celebrations are still being held, risking a tremendous increase in coronavirus cases, which will eventually lead to another full nation-wide lockdown.
Yet, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate the end of a strenuous year, and attend a small gathering with family members or friends, or even host a tight-knit dinner.
After all, New Year’s Eve is not about the festivities, but about bidding farewell to a year that has tremendously challenged us all, and welcoming another chance of hope.
So, we urge you to think twice before choosing to put your safety and others’ at risk.
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.
