Lebanon enters full lockdown to stem virus surge

Lebanon enters full lockdown to stem virus surge

BEIRUT--A full lockdown started in Lebanon Thursday, with residents barred even from grocery shopping and dependent on food deliveries, in a bid to slow a surge in novel coronavirus cases.

The new restrictions were only loosely respected in some areas of the country, however, after mass protests in recent years against a political elite held responsible for a deepening economic crisis.

The lockdown, ordered after some hospitals started to run out of intensive care beds, includes a 24-hour curfew until January 25.

Non-essential workers are barred from leaving their homes, and supermarkets are supposed to operate delivery services only.

Those wishing to request an emergency exemption — to see a doctor for example — can do so by sending a mobile phone text message or by filling in a form online.

In the capital, roads were quieter than usual on Thursday morning, while non-essential shops remained shuttered.

But in areas of Beirut where there were no security forces, some

People shop at a supermarket in Beirut as they stock up on provisions two days before a total lockdown due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic on January 12, 2021.(AFP)people ventured out to buy groceries from local shops.

On social media, users circulated a picture of a traffic