Reduced flights and mosque closures: what Lebanon's latest lockdown will look like

Private hospitals will be forced to admit coronavirus patients

A doctor wearing protective gear handles a coronavirus test sample at Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. The pandemic has put the country's healthcare system in crisis, officials said on January 2, 2020. Reuters

A health worker gathers PCR tests of migrant domestic workers at a hotel in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters

An empty street at Beirut's Martyrs' Square during one of the health lockdowns ordered by Lebanon's government that have further damaged the country's crisis-hit economy. AFP

A Lebanese man wearing a protective mask walks past a Christmas tree in Beirut's Achrafieh district. AFP

Volunteers with Dafa Campaign collect and distribute donations for those in need at Forum de Beyrouth in the Lebanese capital Beirut. The United Nations estimates that more than half of Lebanon's population is living in poverty. AFP

A demonstrator attends a protest in Beirut against growing economic hardship. Reuters

Beirut's nightlife districts of Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael, known for their bars, restaurants and art galleries, were some of the areas hit hardest by the massive explosion at Beirut port on August 4, 2020. AFP

A worker disinfects a room where patients undergo tests for the coronavirus at Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut. Reuters

Volunteers from Hezbollah's medical wing, the Islamic Health Society, prepare to disinfect streets in southern Beirut as part of the Lebanese group's initiatives to deal with the country's coronavirus outbreak. Reuters

Hezbollah’s Islamic health unit personnel wearing protective gear stand near ambulances as part of a press tour in Lebanon. Reuters

A woman wearing a protective mask walks past Central Bank building in Beirut. Lebanon has eased banking secrecy laws for a one-year period to facilitate a forensic audit of the Central Bank and other state institutions. Reuters

Lebanon will force all non-essential businesses to close, and drastically reduce the number of passengers arriving by air, as part of a series of lockdown measures to combat a new wave of coronavirus cases.

In a circular released on Tuesday, the country’s Ministry of Interior spelled out the specifics of drastic new measures to be introduced from Thursday morning.

The measures included the closure of all mosques, churches, schools, universities and sports clubs. Banks and government departments will only be allowed to operate at 20 per cent capacity.

The majority of private companies will be forced to close with a handful of exceptions for industries such as food and pharmaceuticals while parties, events and large gatherings are banned.

Private hospitals, which have come under fire for turning away Covid-19 patients, will now be forced to accept them.

Last week, public health experts said the country's medical infrastructure was facing a catastrophe.

The Lebanese government is now calling upon security forces and the judiciary to take action against hospitals that continue to deny treatment to coronavirus patients.

Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport will remain open, though air traffic will be reduced to 20 per cent. All arriving passengers will undergo a PCR test on arrival, and quarantine in a hotel for their first 72 hours in the country.

Upon receiving negative results, they will be released to complete the remainder of a week-long quarantine in private homes. Diplomats, employees of Unifil – the UN's peacekeeping mission in Lebanon – and those who are vaccinated will be exempt from quarantine, though they will still have to undergo PCR tests when entering the country.

The use of private cars will be banned on alternate days, using an "odd-even" pattern for number plates. A overnight curfew will be enforced between 6pm and 5am. The measures will come into effect on Thursday at 5am, and last until Monday February 1.

The country reported a record number of coronavirus cases on New Year's Eve, and is braced for a further surge, as it deals with the ramifications of parties and gatherings held over the festive period despite experts urging people to stay home.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan on Monday warned about a looming healthcare crisis following the surge in cases.

“It’s become clear that the challenge posed by the pandemic has become a danger to the lives of Lebanese as hospitals run out of available beds.”

On Monday, Lebanon registered 2,861 new cases of the virus.