BEIRUT — The Parliamentary Police announced on Wednesday that it has started to open all the roads leading to Nijmeh Square, where the Parliament is located, starting from "Banks Street" and reaching the commercial center of Beirut.

The roads "will be open to all citizens without any obstacles," the police said as reported by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

These roads have been blocked since the 2019 protests when massive concrete barricades were installed around Nijmeh Square to prevent protesters from reaching the Parliament. Wednesday's step comes one month after the election of Joseph Aoun as president of the republic and the appointment of Nawaf Salam as prime minister and four days after the formation of the new Cabinet.

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Commenting on the decision, Change MP Waddah Sadek posted on X: "[Speaker of Parliament] Nabih Berri's decision to open all the roads surrounding Nijmeh Square is a long-awaited positive step to bring life back to downtown Beirut and revive economic and commercial activity. This decision fulfills a long-standing Beirut demand to end the unjustified isolation of this vital part of the capital, restoring its natural role as a center of political and economic life."

Before 2005, Nijmeh Square was a busy spot with restaurants and shops often packed with people. The series of assassinations that shook Beirut and the security incidents in the subsequent years heavily impacted the vitality of this location.