Lebanon pleads for international help as pandemic spirals

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun appeals for the international community to help his country, which is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, made worse in recent weeks by the new coronavirus.

Aoun says in a speech in front of ambassadors of the International Support Group for Lebanon that includes the UN, US, China, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Britain, EU and the Arab League that Beirut was getting ready to launch work to revive the economy when the coronavirus hit the world.

“We are facing all these challenges and welcome any international assistance,” Aoun says, adding that the presence of a million Syrian refugees is adding to the crisis.

Lebanon has reported 541 cases of coronavirus and 19 deaths.

Also in Lebanon, which has been imposing a lockdown for weeks, security forces began implementing strict measures that allow vehicles with even or odd plate numbers to drive for three days a week each. Driving will be banned on Sundays to try limit the spread of the virus.

— AP