Lebanon’s Covid-19 ministerial committee is set to order a third nationwide lockdown to contain a recent surge in the spread of the virus.
The outbreak of coronavirus, which has registered a total of 189,278 cases as of January 3, is further contributing to the country’s economic recession.
One hundred additional ICU beds will arrive in Lebanon on January 18 to help combat the Covid-19 pandemic, caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan said on Monday.
The economic recession in Lebanon has caused large-scale job losses and salary reductions. These have been further aggravated by the recent restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease.
Poor social safety nets and overcrowded living conditions in many parts of the country after the Beirut Port explosion on August 4, have attributed to the spread of the virus.
At the same time, food prices have nearly tripled over the past 12 months and the Lebanese pound had lost around 80 percent of its value since October 2019.
A recent World Food Programme (WFP) survey estimates that one in three Lebanese were pushed into unemployment, while 23 percent of the population saw their salaries reduced since the outbreak of Covid-19 and related containment measures.
This pushed 85 percent of families to buy cheaper foods of poor nutritional value while half of the families surveyed said they were limiting meal portions.
The economic recession in Lebanon has been aggravated by the restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus
Around one-third of Lebanese depend on either salaried work or daily casual labour as main income sources, according to the survey. Casual employees have been affected greatly by Covid-19, it added.
When looking into the impact of Covid-19 on economic sectors, results revealed that the restaurants and general service sector have been hardest hit, followed by construction as well as the arts, entertainment, accommodation and tourism sectors.
Jad Bohlok, owner of a casual wear shop in Achrafieh, Beirut, told Arabian Business: “The new general lockdown won’t improve the health system, but it will lead to a further deterioration of the business environment in Lebanon. The whole economic situation is worrying, and even more than Covid-19. Everything is super expensive.”
One hundred additional ICU beds will arrive in Lebanon on January 18 to help combat the Covid-19 pandemic
Nabil Haddad, owner of a mobile phones outlet in Downtown Beirut, said: “What worries me most is securing a better life and future for my family and to live as many people live. After general lockdowns, things got worse. As prices for rent are increasing, we can no longer pay the rent on time every month. I hope that our landlord doesn’t evict us.”
Ibrahim Abdallah, 45, a casual employee, said he is afraid he will “not being able to purchase food” as jobs are destroyed by the impact of coronavirus, adding that he is also afraid of eviction because he is unable to pay the rent.
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