BEIRUT: Lebanon has extended its coronavirus lockdown by two weeks in an effort to contain a second wave of the pandemic.
However, the government said that it will also move to restart some sections of the economy in the coming weeks.
The decision to extend the quarantine period until May 10 comes as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose by eight on Friday to 696.
Five of the latest victims are Palestinian refugees from the Galilee camp in Baalbek. All were in contact with a Palestinian refugee from Syria infected with the virus.
Arab News learned that the Palestinian woman developed flu-like symptoms and was taken to Dar Al-Amal University Hospital in Baalbek.
The woman was sent home after preliminary tests found no sign of COVID-19. However, she later developed pneumonia and was taken to Rafik Hariri University Hospital, where she was found to have the illness.
Health Minister Hamad Hassan visited the refugee camp and urged people to wear homemade face masks if they were unable to buy medical items.
He said that Palestinian refugees should be aware of the seriousness of the pandemic and the difficulties that UN refugee agencies face securing materials to deal with the outbreak.
The Galilee camp, considered one of the best Palestinian refugee settlements in Lebanon, has a population of 2,165, including 1,421 refugees from Palestine and 626 Palestinian refugees who fled Syria.
Lebanese and Syrian families also live in the settlement, which is known as the “Danish Camp” since many of its young residents have moved to Denmark to work and obtain Danish citizenship.
Meanwhile, Riad Salameh, the central bank governor, is facing growing criticism over Lebanon’s precarious financial state amid the pandemic.
On Friday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab joined the attacks on Salameh, saying that there is “a suspicious ambiguity in the performance of the governor.”
Diab said that the central bank has been “powerless or idle, or has instigated the dubious deterioration” in the economy.
The Lebanese leader also revealed a “historic” decision to assign an international company to audit the bank’s accounts.
“The data in our hands reveals that the losses in the central bank are accelerating and increasing, and have increased by $7 million since the beginning of the year,” he said.
Diab failed to call for Salameh’s removal, but asked the governor to reveal “the facts” and explain the lira’s fall in value.
FASTFACT
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi has warned against turning the central bank governor into a scapegoat for Lebanon’s financial woes.
The prime minister also called for urgent approval of a financial plan, saying: “The longer we delay, the more difficult the financial rescue.”
Hezbollah joined the campaign against Salameh, calling for public protests and a media investigation into his handling of the country’s financial crisis.
Former Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said that the bank governor could only be dismissed if he breached his duties through bribery or influence peddling, or if he committed grave errors in conducting business.
Earlier Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi warned against turning Salameh into a scapegoat for country’s financial woes.
While Lebanese authorities fight to contain the epidemic, violations of the lockdown are mounting as people protest amid deteriorating living conditions.
In Taalbaiya, protesters on the highway leading to Chtoura clashed with security forces on Thursday night.
Families of Lebanese students abroad staged a sit-in outside Lebanon’s central bank in protest at the Lebanese lira exchange rate, which is nearing 4,000 liras to the dollar. They demanded the adoption of the official exchange rate of 1,515 liras.
The Syndicate of Money Changers in Lebanon decided to stop trading between Friday and next Monday in protest at the “unjustified deterioration of the exchange rate.”
The stoppage did not include unlicensed money changers, who continued black market operations on Friday.
One money changer was stabbed in Beirut’s southern suburbs during a dispute with a rival operator. Troops cordoned off the site of the attack while investigations were carried out.
