A Beirut artery as seen in January, 2021, after the state tightened lockdown and introduced a 24-hour curfew to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. (Issam Abdallah/Reuters)
BEIRUT — With Lebanon’s COVID-19 numbers soaring, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, health authorities are considering imposing another round of restrictions, including a lockdown, as the country records more than 430 cases of the latest strain of the virus.
Speaking to L’Orient Today, Health Minister Firass Abiad said that, while infections continue to increase, “the threat of lockdown restrictions depends on the rate of hospitalization.”
Abiad said he worries that the rise in hospitalization cases would put additional strain on an already overburdened healthcare system, explaining that a “tsunami” of Coronavirus patients increases the risk of hospital staff falling sick. “When that happens, hospitals can become even more stretched,” Abiad said, imploring eligible residents to get vaccinated, schedule their booster shots and reconsider going to social events in the coming weeks.
With the World Health Organization labeling Omicron a “variant of concern,” the Syndicate of Private Hospital Owners in Lebanon also warned that the drastic rise in cases might overwhelm the country’s healthcare system, explaining last week that the rapid increase in COVID-19 infections, along with restricted hospital intake capacity, could result in a “health disaster” in the coming days.
Hospital owners have continuously asked the government and foreign entities for immediate assistance, including cash, resources, and equipment that would allow them to admit COVID-19 patients.
A series of new measures was announced earlier in December – including a curfew for unvaccinated residents during the holiday season; mandatory full vaccination for all public sector employees, as well as employees in the education, health, and tourism sectors, as of Jan. 10; and an extended winter vacation for school and university students through Jan. 10, in order to give schools more time to vaccinate students.
Lebanon’s daily COVID-19 cases climbed to a six-month high Friday and Saturday, recording more than 2,000 cases each day, as the country braces for a potential wintertime surge.
The Mikati government has so far resisted drastic lockdown measures.
The decision to allow public and private gatherings during 2020’s festive period resulted in a three-week countrywide lockdown, as COVID-19 cases surged to more than 2,000, deaths crossed the 1,500 threshold; nearly 90 percent of ICU beds were occupied by Coronavirus cases, according to figures published by the World Health Organization.
The debate over reopening schools
As lockdown is debated, the accumulated cost of closing classrooms is generating increased pressure to keep classrooms open.
Despite the recent spike in cases in the country, Education Minister Abbas Halabi announced via Twitter Monday that schools will not be closed to combat the spread of COVID-19.
“We will not lose the school year because of a relaxation in the level of precautionary measures in restaurants, bars and gathering places,” Halabi tweeted. “We will not close the schools and we will not let them [students] pay the price.”
Parents are particularly worried that their children would miss another academic year, as the education system has already been disrupted for two years, since schools were closed in response to a mass protest movement against corrupt and incompetent government.
Speaking to L’Orient Today, Halabi said that, although lockdown measures are still uncertain, given that many students lack access to computers and tablets, indeed the internet itself, “school closures should be off the table.”
Halabi explained that the Education and Health ministries are joining forces to help maximize the vaccination campaign among teachers, students, and staff.
“We want everyone to be vaccinated by Jan.10,” Halabi said. “We’re doing everything in our power to protect our students and school staff, and a COVID-19 vaccination mandate will help keep our school communities and youngest [students] safe.”
Hospitality Sector
Hospitality managers welcomed the news that the government ruled out drastic COVID-19 restrictions ahead of Lebanon’s busy holidays season.
Businesses had been calling for certainty, with bars and restaurants claiming they had been left in the dark at a time of potentially lucrative bookings – or costly cancellations.
While Halabi’s tweet was directed at the hospitality sector, Tony Ramy, head of the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Nightclubs, and Patisseries, on Monday expressed his opposition to the restaurant sector being held solely responsible for the spread of COVID-19 in Lebanon, saying that the state and customers must also bear their share of responsibility.
Last year, the syndicate hailed public officials for backing business interests and providing them with “a dose of oxygen.” Weeks later, terrified families scrambled to find oxygen for loved ones they were unable to admit into hospitals for want of beds.
The Tourism Ministry stated Monday that, “to date, the Tourist Police have handed out 62 tickets to touristic enterprises in breach [of COVID restriction measures announced earlier this month],” and announced that in the previous week it had closed a number of such businesses with red wax.
Travel Restrictions
Countries around the world reacted swiftly to news of the Omicron variant’s spread and imposed travel bans along with new testing requirements, echoing emergency responses early in the pandemic that triggered a global freeze on travel.
The World Health Organization said earlier this month that, while travel bans would not stop the spread of the Omicron variant, people who are at risk of developing “severe Covid-19 disease”, including over-60s, should postpone plans to travel abroad.
“So far, we are not considering any borders restrictions,” Abiad told L’Orient Today, “but it will all depend on the future developments of the virus on a local and global level.”
Traveling From Overseas: As of Dec. 25, all people over the age of 12 traveling to Lebanon are being asked to submit a negative PCR test result issued no more than 48 hours before arrival.
Starting Jan. 10, anyone over the age of 12, with the exception of those working with the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), will also be required to undergo a PCR test upon arrival in Beirut, which will be paid for in advance at a cost of $30, in addition to the cost of the flight, as was previously the case.
Flying Overseas: To date, two European countries have tightened their requirements for passengers arriving from Lebanon. As of December 27, unvaccinated passengers arriving at German airports from Lebanon are subject to quarantine, according to AFP, after Berlin added Lebanon and four other countries to its list of high-risk zones.
France announced a similar move over the weekend, stating that as of December 28, passengers from Lebanon will be required to submit a negative PCR test in order to enter France, while unvaccinated travelers will have to quarantine for seven days.