aawsat.com — Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab asked the security forces on Saturday to enforce stricter measures to keep people at home and prevent gatherings to rein in the coronavirus outbreak. In an address to the nation, Diab said this would include patrols and checkpoints. He called on the Lebanese to go out only if absolutely necessary and warned that the rising number of infections “foreshadows an imminent danger threatening society.” The health ministry recorded on Saturday a 29 percent rise in cases from the day before, bringing the total to 230, Diab said. Four people have died in the past month. Lebanon’s government declared a medical state of emergency earlier this week and ordered most of the country closed, including the airport.
Experts warn the country’s healthcare system is ill-prepared, as a financial crisis and dollar shortages have for months drained it of critical supplies. “The interior ministry and army command … will announce binding plans that will protect the health of the Lebanese,” Diab said on Saturday. “It is a very difficult and tough period. Let us reduce our losses.” For almost a week, most Lebanese have been ordered to remain at home to stem the spread of COVID-19. The airport has closed and all non-essential businesses have been told to shutter.
Egypt shuts mosques
Egypt on Saturday ordered mosques and churches to shut their doors to worshippers in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, after calls for the government to follow steps taken by neighboring countries. Egypt has so far registered 285 confirmed coronavirus cases including eight deaths. The Ministry of Islamic Endowments said it would shut all mosques for two weeks “for the necessity of preserving souls”, but will allow them to broadcast prayer calls through loudspeakers. Egypt has more than 100,000 mosques.
Al-Azhar, Egypt’s top Muslim authority, said it would shut its historic mosque in old Cairo starting from Saturday “for the safety of worshippers, and until the end of the coronavirus epidemic”. On March 15, Al-Azhar’s Council of Senior Scholars said that governments had the right to shut mosques “to protect people from the coronavirus”. Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church on Saturday ordered all its churches to shut their doors and suspend masses for two weeks over coronavirus fears, it said in a statement. The church also banned visits to monasteries and closed condolences halls attached to churches.
The Coptic Catholic Church followed the same approach and ordered its followers on Saturday to pray at home until further notice. Its churches will open their doors for funeral prayers only, which will be restricted to family members. Strengthening measures Egypt, which has seen its tourism sector badly affected by the epidemic, will close all museums and archaeological sites starting March 23 until the end of the month for sanitization, the tourism ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Cairo said on Thursday it would shut all cafes, shopping malls, sports clubs and nightclubs from 7 pm until 6 am local time every night until March 31. It exempted supermarkets, pharmacies, bakeries and neighborhood corner stores. Egypt also shut schools and universities and moved to cut the number of public sector employees reporting to work in an effort to discourage crowding and slow the spread of the disease. Flights were grounded on Thursday until the end of March, with the exception of outward-bound flights needed by foreign tourists. The government said that during the flight ban and school shutdown, hotels and all educational facilities would be sanitized.
More cases in Algeria
Algeria said on Saturday that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases had risen to 139 from 95. Algeria has stopped international and domestic travel, closed mosques, cafes and restaurants and told half of state employees to stay at home to try to limit the spread of the virus. An estimated 900 million people are now confined to their homes in 35 countries around the world — two thirds by government lockdown orders, according to an AFP tally.
