Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Lebanon reimposes lockdown amid coronavirus surge

Lebanon reimposes lockdown amid coronavirus surge

Partial two-week shutdown and overnight curfew comes into effect as hospitals are overwhelmed after Beirut port blast.

Lebanon has reimposed a partial lockdown and an overnight curfew to rein in a spike in coronavirus infections, as hospitals struggle to cope in the aftermath of the devastating Beirut port explosion earlier this month.

The new measures, announced by the interior ministry, come into effect on Friday and will last for two weeks. The restrictions would not affect the clean-up and aid effort following the deadly blast in the capital that killed at least 180 people and pushed the government to resign.

All markets, malls, gyms and pools - among other private businesses - have been ordered shut during the lockdown, the ministry said on Tuesday.

Restaurants are restricted to delivery with curtailed operating hours. Social gatherings are also banned.

The curfew will extend from 6pm local time (15:00 GMT) to 6am local time (03:00 GMT), exempting workers in the medical and food sectors, as well as the army, diplomats and journalists.

The airport will remain open with travellers having to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test before boarding.

Lebanon was already seeing rising cases of the novel coronavirus before the August 4 blast but has reported a string of record tallies in recent weeks.

The country reported a record 605 new cases and four deaths on Thursday, taking its total caseload to 10,952 with 113 related deaths.



'On the brink'


Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, said: "A few weeks ago, the daily average [of coronavirus cases] was between 10 to 20, and now the numbers are in the hundreds. And for a country whose healthcare system is already collapsing, authorities fear there is a need to really contain the spread in order to prevent a total collapse."

Hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser exploded at Beirut port in the heart of the city on August 4.

The warehouse explosion damaged many hospitals and overwhelmed them with more than 6,000 wounded. It put about half of 55 medical centres across Beirut out of service.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan warned on Monday hospitals were reaching maximum capacity to treat coronavirus patients after the Beirut blast overwhelmed health centres already stretched by the virus.

"Public and private hospitals, in the capital in particular, have a very limited capacity, whether in terms of beds in intensive care units or respirators," he said.

"We are on the brink, we don't have the luxury to take our time."


Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
×