Lebanon said on Wednesday it will halt all travel to and from Italy, South Korea, China and Iran to curb coronavirus and gave nationals four days to return from other virus-hit countries before a more sweeping shutdown of flights would take effect.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab told a news conference that Lebanon was stepping up measures to curb the outbreak after a second death was recorded on Wednesday and the country's total confirmed cases reached 68 according to Lebanese media.
The Health Ministry said 37% of the cases reported in Lebanon originated from four countries: Egypt, Iran, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Diab said Lebanon was also banning entry of passengers from France, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Spain, Britain and Germany.
He said that Lebanese nationals, diplomats accredited in Lebanon, residents and NGO workers would have four days to return from these countries before flights to and from them would also be halted.
As part of heightened countermeasures, Lebanon also will ban public gatherings and shut public venues such as malls and restaurants, Diab said.
The novel coronavirus is the latest crisis to hit Lebanon, already reeling from economic collapse and anti-government protests.
Health Minister Hamad Hassan said last week that the country had moved beyond the phase of "containment" and was bracing for a more serious outbreak.
Schools, universities, cafes, bars and other public places have been ordered shut, and on Tuesday Shiite authorities suspended prayers until further notice.
But public concern remains high amid fears that the country is ill-equipped to face a mass outbreak.
Beirut's Rafik Hariri state hospital, where the vast majority of cases are being treated, cannot bear the burden on its own, its director Firas al-Abyad said on Tuesday.
"If the number of cases grows, then the capacity of the healthcare system to respond needs to be improved," he said.
According to the hospital director, more than seven hospitals have already been equipped to deal with the outbreak and several more are currently being reinforced.
