by naharnet — The government on Sunday declared “general mobilization” over the coronavirus crisis and announced a two-week lockdown of the country. The lockdown measures include asking citizens to “stay home unless it is extremely necessary” and a two-week closure of public and private institutions as well as the airport and the land and sea ports of entry. The airport will be closed from Wednesday until March 29 to all flights except for cargo planes and passenger planes carrying UNIFIL members, diplomatic crews, staff of international organizations and employees of firms linked to oil and gas drilling in Block 4 of Lebanon’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

Lebanese citizens, foreign family members and holders of Lebanese residency permits will meanwhile be allowed to return to Lebanon from March 15 until March 18 on the condition that they test negative for coronavirus after taking PCR tests. “This decision does not apply to those coming from countries already under a travel ban: France, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Germany, Spain, the UK, Italy, Iran, China (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), and South Korea,” the Cabinet said in a statement issued after an emergency meeting and recited by Information Minister Manal Abdul Samad. The closure of institutions, from March 15 until March 29, will meanwhile exclude public institutions that perform vital tasks and private firms related to “food security” and the medical sector as well as banks, money exchange shops and import and export companies. “We are in a health emergency and the government declares general mobilization until March 29,” Prime Minister Hassan Diab said after the cabinet session. “It is time for cooperation, mobilizing capabilities, volunteering and making initiatives to save others and the Lebanese,” he added.

Calling on the Lebanese to show solidarity, Diab announced that so far, Lebanon has managed to “slow the spread of the virus.” “We have devised a scientific strategy to protect the Lebanese,” he said. “We have taken preventative measures and Lebanon has managed to contain the first wave of the virus,” he added. Lebanon has so far confirmed 99 coronavirus cases including three deaths, according to a Health Ministry statement issued at noon Sunday. Educational institutions, restaurants, nightclubs, pubs, cafes, exhibitions, parks, cinemas, malls and other gathering venues have been closed since several days as part of the measures against the virus.

BEIRUT (Reuters) – President Michel Aoun declared a medical state of emergency in Lebanon on Sunday and called on people to work from home as the country steps up measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. “Each of us is called upon to continue his work, from home, in the way he sees appropriate,” Aoun said in a televised address at the start of a cabinet meeting expected to declare measures to deal with the outbreak. Lebanon, which is already hit by a deep financial crisis, said the total number of cases had reached 99. Three people have so far died.

Health officials have warned that any wider outbreak could severely strain Lebanon’s strapped medical resources after a months-long dollar shortage that has strained supplies. Lebanon last week ordered the closure of restaurants and many public venues, and halted flights from many corona-infected countries. In a bid to reduce potential exposure, security forces were dispatched to Beirut’s seaside corniche to disperse crowds who had come to enjoy one of the city’s few public spaces. “We heard they are going to issue a curfew so we said let’s take advantage of the last Sunday and the sea,” said Mohamed Sabah, a film producer. Lebanon’s banks will shut until March 29, according to Lebanese media, two days after the central bank asked commercial banks that have imposed strict capital controls to prioritise hard currency for the import of corona-related supplies. (Reporting by Eric Knecht and Tom Perry; Editing by Edmund Blair and Alexandra Hudson)