Lebanon will gradually ease strict coronavirus lockdown in force since Jan. 11 in four two-week stages starting from Monday, the country's caretaker government said on Friday.
Lebanon imposed a 24-hour curfew when cases spiked after lax measures over the Christmas holiday period sent infections soaring and pushed hospital capacities to the limit.
Lebanon is dealing with a devastating financial crisis that has paralyzed banks and the lockdown faced resistance amid concerns over soaring unemployment, inflation and poverty.
In Tripoli, Lebanon's poorest city, protests culminated last week in the burning of the municipality building as demonstrators clashed with police.
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said in a statement that while Sunday would be the last day of total lockdown some restrictions would remain in place on Monday.
"We will continue with regulations that will prevent the return to what the situation had reached pre-lockdown," he said.
Diab is steering the government in a caretaker role as the country's fractious politicians remain unable to agree on a new administration since he quit in the aftermath of the Aug. 4 Beirut port explosion.
Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmy said in the first two-week period of lighter restrictions starting on Monday, those wanting to leave their homes would still need to apply for permission on available electronic platforms.
Details of which economic sectors can open in the coming two weeks will be announced in a few hours, he said.
Lebanon recorded 3,107 new cases on Thursday, with total cases reaching 312,269 and total deaths at 3,397.
On Friday, caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan warned the situation was still worrying with 98 deaths recorded on the day.
"We need to return slowly with adherence to preventative measures like mask wearing and social distancing," he said.
Earlier, the Health Ministry on Friday approved the emergency use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, opening the door for private sector imports, local media said.
After the authorization, agreements will be signed with importing companies to keep track and register those who get vaccinated, the reports said.
The health ministry is also studying authorization for the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine.
Lebanon has said it would open the door for the private sector to import COVID 19 vaccinations.
The health ministry signed a final deal for 2.1 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in January with the first doses due to arrive by mid-February.
It said at the time it was also cooperating with the private sector to secure 2 million vaccine doses from various companies.
In addition to these deals, Lebanon has also signed up for 2.7 million doses to be delivered through COVAX, the global scheme backed by the World Health Organization to provide vaccines to poorer countries.
