Today, 33 new cases among the repatriated Lebanese expats (coming from Nigeria), in addition to one additional case not related to travels.
The coronavirus pandemic may have started later in Africa, or at least in some parts of this continent. Anyhow, it seems to be active now.
Indeed, yesterday, there were 25 positive cases among repatriated citizens (from the Republic of Sierra Lione).
Bravo to Lebanon for its thoroughness. All the testing and quarantine, at hotels, for all passengers until their results. Of course, those who test positive are quarantined longer:
As shown above, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health publishes anonymous lab results of expatriates, coming through the airport and those crossing land borders (still closed). Yesterday, there two positive cases in two different crossings, among 91 total tests.
All negative cases will be quarantined at home under strict daily surveillance by the Ministry of Health. In case of symptoms, the persons will be transferred to the hospital for a second testing.
Lebanon is in the middle of an economic tragedy (prior to the pandemic). It has serious issues, namely corruption, yet it seems to know how to be thorough in dealing with the coronavirus.
One must also add that both the population and the media have been lucid from day 1 (everyone was aware of the tsunami ahead prior to day 1). The media may have even pushed the government to act faster. Regardless, the government of tiny bankrupt Lebanon listened and delivered efficiently. First, there were health measures at the airport. Then came the full lockdown of airport and land borders. One must also say that schools closed as soon as the first case was diagnosed. Churches and mosques closed very early on. Businesses followed, etc. Among the measures, on April 6, 2020, Lebanon freed about one third of the country’s inmates over fears of spread of the coronavirus in (overcrowded) prisons.
Good luck to Lebanon in its confinement and deconfinement measures.
Talking about deconfinement, and to conclude this post, Bambi would like to salute the wisdom of her niece Stéphanie who turned 18 lately ?. As she said, “even with deconfinement [at least a first stage of it], I will still be careful/stay at home… I do not want to bring the virus to my parents”.
