Lebanon under curfew, locks down 115 towns in virus fight
Lebanon under curfew, locks down 115 towns in virus fight
A countrywide curfew between 9pm and 5am was also announced by the interior ministry on Sunday.
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Only restaurants and cafes in areas outside lockdown areas are permitted to operate [Getty]
Lebanon on Sunday announced it will put 115 towns and villages under local lockdown for one week from Monday as it grapples with record numbers of novel coronavirus cases.
A countrywide curfew between 9pm and 5am was also announced by the interior ministry on Sunday.
Pubs and nightclubs remained closed as social gatherings in both public and private were prohibited, according to the ministry.
Only restaurants and cafes in areas outside lockdown areas are permitted to operate, with a maximum 50 percent capacity and while enforcing social distancing measures.
Public schools will also be closing, according to the memo.
Read also: IMF calls for speedy reforms in virus-hit Arab countries
On Sunday, MP Assem Araji called for a national lockdown, warning that hospitals were struggling to cope as coronavirus cases surged with more than 1,600 recorded on Saturday.
Lebanon, a Mediterranean country reeling from its worst economic crisis in decades, has recorded 82,617 coronavirus cases, including 643 deaths.
Infections have spiked in the aftermath of a catastrophic explosion at Beirut's port on 4 August that killed more than 200 people, injured thousands, damaged several hospitals and overwhelmed the capital's health services.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected
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