Lebanon earmarks June 21 to reopen airport if coronavirus decline remains stable

An employee of a private company sprays the interior of the Lebanese capital Beirut's Rafiq Hariri international airport with disinfectant, to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, on March 18, 2020. (FIle/AFP)

• The capital’s Rafik Hariri International Airport banned all commercial and private flights on March 18

DUBAI: Lebanon plans to reopen its airport to the public on June 21 amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to local media reports citing the Public Works Minister Michel Najjar.
“The airport will not open on June 8 but it is expected [to open] starting June 21,” Najjar said.
The statement was made after the Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hasan said the reopening of the airport can happen if the country witnesses a two-week stable decline of coronavirus cases.
“As long as the world is suffering from an international pandemic, the airport needs special arrangements regarding its reopening, mainly related to the number of infections that will come through,” he said.
The capital’s Rafik Hariri International Airport banned all commercial and private flights on March 18 to help contain the coronavirus spread in the country.