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Top Lebanese authorities meet today to decide whether to extend the COVID-19 lockdown, after the country suffered record death tolls for the third day running. A source at Presidential Palace told L’Orient Today that the Higher Defense Council will discuss renewing the “state of health emergency” it declared on Jan. 14, which has been used to mandate strict restrictions, including a 24-hour curfew and closure of grocery stores except for delivery. With this total lockdown set to end Monday, health professionals have stressed the importance of extending restrictions to stem the tide of the pandemic. The national COVID-19 committee recommended a two-week extension at its meeting yesterday, a source told our sister publication L’Orient-Le Jour.

Ahead of a possible lockdown extension, food store owners and industrialists have once again appealed for exemptions. The North Lebanon Merchants’ Association yesterday called on the Higher Defense Council to allow shoppers to return to supermarkets in person, under strict conditions, echoing an earlier statement from the head of the Spinneys supermarket chain. Meanwhile, the president of the Syndicate of Food Importers in Lebanon warned that any further closure must ensure continued food supply for residents, noting that stores have struggled to meet delivery demands. The lobby for industrialists, for its part, said critical manufacturing services should be allowed to continue.

Tempers flared at Beirut’s airport on Tuesday when taxi drivers, who have been hit hard by the countrywide closure, protested restrictions. The drivers scuffled with soldiers outside the airport in anger over the decision that only prebooked hotel shuttles were allowed to ferry arriving passengers. Taxi Drivers’ Union head Marwan Fayyad told L’Orient Today that he was dispatching a letter to President Michel Aoun calling for drivers to be allowed to work again under a scheme allowing vehicles on the road on alternate days. Two public transport drivers have attempted to self-immolate this month, with many drivers living off day-to-day income from their fares.

Bank Audi reached an agreement to sell its subsidiary in Egypt as stricken Lebanese financial institutions scramble to raise hard cash. First Abu Dhabi Bank, the largest bank in the United Arab Emirates, agreed yesterday to purchase 100 percent of the share capital of Bank Audi SAE, according to a joint statement. The banks did not disclose the value of the transaction, which will be completed in the coming months, subject to regulatory approvals. In August 2020, Banque du Liban issued Circular 154, giving banks the ambitious deadline of the end of February 2021 to raise their capital by 20 percent. Last week, BLOM Bank finalized the sale of its subsidiary in Egypt to Bahrain-headquartered ABC Bank for $427 million.

Caretaker Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni met yesterday with the president to discuss reviving the forensic audit of the central bank. A statement issued by Aoun’s office said that they addressed “steps to accelerate the agreement” with forensic auditor Alvarez & Marsal, who in November terminated their contract following central bank Gov. Riad Salameh’s refusal to hand over required documents citing dubious legal constraints. The president’s statement Wednesday cited the Dec. 21 vote in Parliament in favor of lifting banking secrecy on public accounts for one year.