Lebanon has announced a total lockdown between April 3 and April 6 for Easter to prevent gatherings and avoid super spreader events. The same strategy will be implemented for Eid Al Fitr, as the country struggles to curb coronavirus spread.
This comes as part of the country’s updated national lockdown measures amid worrying Covid-19 numbers.
President Michel Aoun met caretaker prime minister Hassan Diab and the country's Higher Defence Council on Friday to discuss an updated Covid-19 strategy.
They agreed on extending the country's general mobilisation period, in which Covid measures like lockdowns may apply, for an additional six months. It was set to end on March 31.
Mr Diab warned that while Covid-19 numbers are rising, a large percentage of citizens are not adhering to measures.
“We’re on the verge of a third wave, not just in Lebanon, but in the world, and it may be more dangerous than before,” he said.
“I support the extension of the general mobilisation period till the end of September,” he added.
Another approved measure is the extension of opening hours for restaurants, cafes and shops from 7pm to 9pm.
Health experts warned against relaxing Covid-19 measures at a time when Lebanon "is not yet out of the woods".
Given the slow pace of vaccination, easing restrictions can only lead to a disastrous outcome
The head of Lebanon’s parliamentary health committee, Dr Assem Araji, explained that indications point to a Covid-19 surge in coming weeks. “This will exhaust an already exhausted health sector”, he warned.
“Commitment and adherence to measures is the way to protecting our loved ones. Don’t turn our holidays into sorrow,” he said in a tweet.
Reeling from the devastating effects of the Beirut port explosion, economic crisis, and pandemic, Lebanon’s health sector is overwhelmed and under-resourced.
Health experts are raising the alarm on the fragility of the sector as Lebanon faces another Covid-19 upsurge.
On March 22 the country witnessed the highest number of admissions to intensive care units since the beginning of the pandemic. Over 11,000 new cases and 205 new deaths have been recorded since Monday.
Head of Rafic Hariri University Hospital, Dr Firas Abiad, warned “the situation will get worse” as Covid and non-Covid emergency departments become severely congested at the public hospital.
“Can an overstretched healthcare system respond to ever increasing demands? Could hospitals break down? Let us hope we will never find out,” he tweeted.
Dr Joelle Abi-Rached, associate researcher at Sciences Po, warned that an overloaded healthcare system is correlated with higher mortality rates, especially as Covid-19 variants become more widespread.
"Given the slow pace of vaccination, easing restrictions can only lead to a disastrous outcome," she told The National.
As of Friday, Lebanon had administered 177,342 vaccines.
This accounts for less than 3 per cent of Lebanon’s 6 million population, including refugees.
The Ministry of Health had vowed to vaccinate up to 80 per cent of the people by year end, but Dr Jade Khalife, a physician specialising in health systems and epidemiology, believes the country will be “nowhere near that number” due to a short vaccine supply, slow vaccine rollout, and high vaccine hesitancy.
"The current proportion of the population being vaccinated is a drop in the ocean, it's not nearly enough to stop the ongoing surge," he told The National.
To boost the vaccine distribution, the Lebanese government has facilitated vaccine imports by the private sector.
Pharmaceutical company Pharmaline was able to secure 1 million doses of the Sputnik-V vaccine and 50,000 doses are due to arrive as a first shipment.
Caretaker health minister Hamad Hassan said a second private company had also secured a batch of the Sputnik-V vaccine to help the resume vaccinations.
Lebanon also received 33,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the UN’s Covax scheme on March 24. A total of 4.23 million AstraZeneca vaccines are due to arrive gradually.
The government was also able to secure an additional 750,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses, aside from the 2.1 million shots already agreed upon.
The state is also in the talks with Russia and China over possibly securing a deal to import their designated vaccines.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
WTL%20SCHEDULE
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Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
