Lebanon eases restrictions ahead of holidays, but no stopping COVID-19

Lebanon eases restrictions ahead of holidays, but no stopping COVID-19

BEIRUT: Lebanon registered 1,182 coronavirus cases Monday and 13 deaths as the authorities eased restrictions for the holiday season and the caretaker health minister called to temporarily halt flights from Britain after a new strain of COVID-9 was detected there."We recommend that flights from London be suspended for a few days until things become clear," Hasan said after chairing a meeting of the scientific committee at the Health Ministry.The committee also recommended that Lebanese expatriates who plan to visit Lebanon during the holidays to avoid coming through British airports.Another recommendation was that travelers coming from London undergo a PCR test and quarantine for five days with follow-up from the Health Ministry and security forces.The ministerial committee for coronavirus prevention is set to meet this week and is expected to decide on the recommendations.Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry further eased restrictions for the holiday season between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1, cutting night curfew hours to between 3 a.m. and 5 p.m. and extending opening hours of restuarants, pubs and nightclubs till 3 a.m.Among the newly recorded cases, nine were travelers arriving in Lebanon, bringing the total number of cases since Feb. 21 to 159,286. The total number of deaths now stands