Lebanon urges people to stay at home for two weeks and prepares to close its main airport to stem a novel coronavirus outbreak that has killed three people in the country.
The COVID-19 virus has officially infected 99 people in the Mediterranean nation.
Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad orders “citizens to remain at home and not go out except out of extreme necessity” until March 29.
The Beirut international airport will close from Wednesday until that date, during which no one will be allowed in through maritime or land ports either, she says.
Diplomats, UN peacekeepers, employees of international organizations and goods shipments would still be permitted entry, she cites a cabinet decision as saying.
Most institutions and businesses would remain closed. Security forces, health institutions, utilities companies and shops selling food will be exempted.
Lebanon’s novel coronavirus outbreak is the latest crisis to hit a country reeling from a severe economic crunch and mass anti-government protests.
— AFP
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 16, 2020
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
