Still reeling from a deadly port blast that ravaged their Beirut homes and businesses, Lebanese wearily braced themselves for a new coronavirus lockdown Friday.
“What now? On top of this disaster, a coronavirus catastrophe?” said 55-year-old Roxane Moukarzel, as she waved towards the devastated port from the balcony of her gutted home.
Lebanon is to partially close down for two weeks from Friday to stem a string of record daily infection rates that have brought the number of COVID-19 cases to 10,952, including 113 deaths.
Moukarzel said she supported the decision, especially after the massive blast at Beirut’s port on August 4 that killed 181 people, wounded thousands and laid waste to windows and doors across swathes of the city.
“Economically closing up the country is not good, as people want to sell, but let them lose out a little instead of getting sick and having to be carted off to hospital,” said the mother of one, who trained as an architect.
“There’s no more space in the hospitals. If people suddenly start burning up, where will they put them?” AFP
Authorities fear Lebanon’s fragile health sector would struggle to cope with a further spike in COVID-19 cases, especially after some hospitals near the port were damaged in the explosion.