MECC Coronavirus (COVID 19) Weekly Report
Flash updates on covid-19/Syria, until May 8th
Coronavirus cases: 47 Deaths: 3 Recovered: 27 [1]
The Health Ministry announced that the total number of people that have been quarantined as of February 5th 2020 and until now is 3325, 2554 of them having been discharged while 771 are still under observation.[2]
Plane carrying Syrians stranded abroad arrives at Damascus Int’l Airport from Egypt.
Updated measures:
Al-Assad on Thursday 7 May, issued decree stipulating for postponing the elections of the People’s Assembly for the 3rd legislative term until July 19, 2020 in the framework of the preventive measures taken by the government to confront the coronavirus.as stated in the deree.
A number of Patriarchates and Archdioceses announced that they would open the doors of their churches to establish prayers and religious services starting from the next Sunday May 10th, with commitment to preventive measures. such as ( Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese in Homs, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate).[3],[4]
Lebanon: COVID-19
Humanitarian Update #4
Reporting period: from May 6 to May 12 2020
Coronavirus cases: 859 Deaths: 26 Recovered: 234
Highlights
After loosening restrictions and measures taken by the government to quell the spread of the corona virus, the infectivity rate spiked sparking grave concerns.[5]
Lebanon enters a new phase, in which 13 military personnel have contracted covid-19.[6]
The Minister of Public Health Hamad Hassan detailed the gravity situation Lebanon is in, highlighting the fact that the country is no longer considered one of the best nations which implemented policies to fight covid-19.[7]
Minister of Public Health Dr. Hamad Hassan issued a decision organizing the process of opening nurseries so that nursery departments will open exclusively on May 11 to complete logistical preparations to receive children in the month of June.[8]
Preventive measures
The Ministerial Committee meeting for the return of the Lebanese people, decided to decrease the number of flights of returning to Lebanon, due to the increase of infected people.
The Minister of Public Health Hamad Hassan announced that he will order a 48-hour complete lockdown if the infectivity rate doesn’t decrease. [9]
The Ministry of Interior, on the 10th of May declared that citizens are to assume their homes from 7:00 PM till 5:00 AM. [10]
On the 10th of May, the Ministry of Public Health issued a statement reminding citizens who have been instructed to stay home and quarantine themselves, to abide by instructions.[11]
Humanitarian Impact
According to a new report by the World Bank, poverty figures among Palestine refugees have increased from 65 per cent among Palestinian refugees.
Poverty levels (those below the poverty line) among Syrian refugees have surpassed 73%, according to the World Bank.
According to the UN, covid-19 has forced an extraordinarily difficult economical and socio-political situation in Lebanon, compounding existing weaknesses and further increasing vulnerabilities.
COVID-19 outbreak has further diverted human and material resources, leaving other already weak essential services heavily under-resourced, including assistance to people with disabilities, older people and survivors of domestic and gender-based violence (GBV).[12]
Preparedness and response
The Chinese embassy donated a thermal device to be used at the Masnaa border medical station.[13]
The Minister of Public Health, Dr. Hamad Hassan, received in his office at the Ministry a representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Yuki Mukyu. The two discussed the possibility of increasing UNICEF's support to Lebanese children and residents on Lebanese soil.
During a visit to the medical center in Siblin, Cladauo Cordoni, the head of the UNRWA in Lebanon declared that the facility is ready for use. He also emphasized that the UNRWA will handle logistical factors while the organization Doctors without Borders will handle health matters.
A team from the Ministry of Public Health and medical services of Aley, conducted PCR tests, on 108 people, in a clinic in the town of Aley Mejdlaya, after a suspected condition in the town.
The Minister of Public Health, Dr. Hamad Hassan, received two technical systems from "Huawei" company, the first helps in visual communication between the Ministry of Public Health and hospitals in and outside Lebanon, and the second is the provision of an artificial intelligence service to help in the accurate diagnosis of COVID-19
Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan announced that Lebanon has received a Russian offer to help face the Corona pandemic, noting that they are awaiting the arrival of this aid, whether medical or logistical.
The Ministry of Public Health launched the newest version of the application "Self-evaluation of corona symptoms" or COVID-19 Symptom Checker Chabot, in cooperation with the Lebanese Society for Bacterial Diseases and Clinical Microbiology.[14]
The UNIFIL Italian contingent donated some personal protective equipment to the Beit Lif municipality.
On the 8th of May, an emergency appeal for 350 million USD, to protect lives in Lebanon against covid-19, was launched by the UN.
According to the ICRC, it is currently in the process of working with the Internal Security Forces (ISF) to upgrade the infrastructure of Roumieh Central Prison, by improving hygiene and creating an equipped isolation ward where detainees can be isolated and given necessary medical care if suspected to have caught the virus or are positive patients. Other 12 prisons are also currently receiving the same treatment by the ICRC.
Embrace, a Lebanese NGO which works to raise awareness around mental health in Lebanon, has established a specialized telephone service provide emotional support and suicide risk assessment, as well as serve as a source of referrals for community resources and treatment programs for people in need.[15]
[1] Worldometers, 6 May
[2] SANA
[3] Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese in Hims
[4] Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate
[5] Lebanon 24, May 9,2020, https://www.lebanon24.com/news/lebanon/701990/
[6]Alhurra, May 9, 2020, https://www.alhurra.com/coronavirus/2020/05/10/
[7]Annahar, May 10, 2020, https://newspaper.annahar.com/article/1184507
[8]https://www.moph.gov.lb/
[9]Annahar, May 10, 2020, https://newspaper.annahar.com/article/1184507-
[10]http://www.interior.gov.lb
[11]https://www.moph.gov.lb
[12] https://reliefweb.int
[13] Arab News, May 10, 2020, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1672546/middle-east
[14] https://www.moph.gov.lb
[15] https://reliefweb.int