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Lockdown

Lebanon goes quiet on the first day of a strict lockdown to combat COVID-19

Lebanon goes quiet on the first day of a strict lockdown to combat COVID-19

The “ring road,” a major artery connecting east and west Beirut, was largely empty Thursday, the first day of Lebanon’s strict coronavirus lockdown. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP)

BEIRUT — Lebanon began an 11-day, 24-hour nationwide lockdown Thursday, implementing the most stringent restrictions yet to curb an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases that has overwhelmed the country’s already fragile health sector.

For the first time since the illness was detected nearly one year ago, residents are required to stay at home for the entirety of the lockdown period, set to end on Jan. 25.

People were suddenly notified Wednesday evening that they would be required to apply for an hourlong permit to leave the house for “emergencies,” which includes going to the pharmacy, doctor’s office or bakery. This was met with widespread confusion Thursday morning as the form was not immediately made available to residents.

The usually congested streets and highways were quiet as nonessential businesses, restaurants, cafes and bars across the country shut their doors to customers.

Grocery stores and food and beverage businesses were permitted to open only for delivery, after three days of being swarmed by people panic-buying essentials, following the abrupt lockdown announcement on Monday.

However, the owner of the Fahed supermarket chain, Nabil Fahed, said his company’s delivery services operated at a normal pace on the first day of total lockdown.

“There was no rush today. A lot of people had already done their shopping,” Fahed told L’Orient Today.

“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday was really crazy. We had five times the regular customers. … I expect it will pick up again on Monday,” he said. “We’re getting ready. … All of our employees are trained to work in the delivery system now.”

Whether people take lockdown seriously is another matter. Over previous lockdowns, residents loosely adhered to measures and security forces and municipalities, under the leadership of the Interior Ministry, haphazardly implemented them.

The strict new measures did not deter some from breaking lockdown rules this time around, either.

Many people were seen leisurely walking around various neighborhoods of Beirut. Some minimarkets had their blinds closed but discreetly sold food to customers. Driving across some areas of the capital, security checkpoints were few and far between. A photograph circulating on social media showed bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Jal al-Dib highway ahead of a security forces checkpoint.

Previous lockdowns have disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable residents in the country, which is currently grappling with the worst economic crisis in decades.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees closed its health centers until Monday, and refugees are unable to leave their crowded camps due to the lockdown. Palestinian groups in the southern city of Saida condemned UNRWA’s move as “irresponsible” and “unjustified,” calling on the agency reopen clinics immediately, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The country’s state of emergency, which was declared by authorities Monday, comes after a week of record-breaking daily infections, the result of holiday season transmissions, which has pushed coronavirus intensive care units to the brink of their capacity. The government has been widely criticized for implementing conflicting policies in the lead-up to the most dangerous coronavirus surge to hit the country, including the reopening of nightclubs and easing of curfew hours.

“This is serious. The lockdown should not fail. The lockdown cannot fail,” Firass Abiad, the head of Rafik Hariri University Hospital, said in a tweet Thursday. “In the last 24 hours alone, four COVID-positive patients presented in cardiac arrest to our emergency room. One of them was a 19-year-old patient.”

A record 41 deaths were registered Thursday, along with 5,196 new coronavirus cases.

BEIRUT — Lebanon began an 11-day, 24-hour nationwide lockdown Thursday, implementing the most stringent restrictions yet to curb an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases that has overwhelmed the country’s already fragile health sector.For the first time since the illness was detected nearly one year ago, residents are required to stay at home for the entirety of the lockdown period, set to end on...