The Governor of the Central Bank, Riad Salameh, has asked all Lebanese banks to give priority to transfers aimed at purchasing medical supplies and equipment to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, as confirmed cases reached 93 on Saturday.
Lebanon is grappling with an acute hard currency crunch that has led commercial banks to impose strict controls on the withdrawal and transfer of dollars abroad, restrictions that have hit imports even for critical goods.
Health officials have warned that Lebanon’s deep financial crisis raises serious questions about its ability to contain a coronavirus outbreak if cases rapidly increase, amid looming shortages for even basic essentials like masks and gloves.
Salameh "asked that all Lebanese banks give priority to transfers for the purchase of medical supplies and equipment for combating coronavirus,” the statement said.
The Ministry of Health announced a case among its employees in the central administration, who had been in contact with one of their diagnosed relatives. The ministry said it was taking the necessary procedures to isolate the employee, identify contacts outside and inside the ministry, collect samples, and put those who had direct contact with the patient in quarantine.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Tarek al-Majzoub ordered the extension of schools and universities closure.
In a statement, the minister announced on Friday that the schools and universities across Lebanon would remain closed nationwide in order to ensure the safety of the educational sector.
While Friday prayers in mosques across Lebanon were suspended in implementation of the preventive instructions to reduce gatherings, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai stressed that caution was very necessary, urging everyone to stay home, and not go out except when absolutely needed.
The national committee to follow up on the preventive measures and procedures for coronavirus, after its meeting on Friday, required all private hospitals of category (A) to be equipped to receive coronavirus patients within a period of one week, in line with the plan of the Ministry of Public Health.
The government on Wednesday announced heightened countermeasures including a ban on flights from virus-hit countries and the closure of restaurants, malls, and many public venues.
Lebanon’s banks said they will shut on Saturday in order to take steps to sanitize branches.
