Authorities closed all entrances to a Palestinian refugee camp in eastern Lebanon on Friday after four people tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing total cases in the settlement to five and heightening concerns the disease could further spread among its overcrowded population.
The four infected with the virus are relatives of a woman who tested positive earlier this week and are isolating inside their home, according to a statement from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. It said they were so far not in need of hospitalization.
The Palestinian woman, who is a refugee from Syria, was taken to Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut this week. She became the first displaced living in a camp in Lebanon to contract the virus, a finding that triggered a spate of testing in the camp.
The five confirmed cases are residents of the Wavel camp in the city of Baalbek, known locally as the Jalil, or Galilee camp.
On Friday, Palestinian fighters in charge of the camp security wore face masks as they patrolled the narrow streets and alleyways of the camp with an estimated population of up to 3,000.
Camp residents hunkered down at home after being asked to stay indoors, while paramedics in protective suits sprayed down the few vehicles that were permitted to enter with disinfectant and took people's temperatures.
Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan told reporters that the authorities were working together with the UN and other agencies “to avoid an outbreak in the coming days.”
Lebanon has officially announced 696 infections including 22 deaths from COVID-19 across the country.
