Lebanon’s PM calls in army to enforce coronavirus lockdown
March 21, 2020, 7:14 pm

Lebanon’s PM calls in army to enforce coronavirus lockdown

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab, gives a speech at the Government House in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, March. 7, 2020. (AP)

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab Saturday called in the army and security forces to ensure people stay at home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus that has killed four people nationwide. Lebanon’s PM

In a televised address, Diab said the number of cases had risen to 230 in the country despite a call almost a week ago for all to remain at home.

Warning of a further spike to epidemic levels if people continued to flout social distancing rules, he said the government was calling in the army and security forces.

His administration decided to “task the army, Internal Security, General Security, and State Security to... implement the order for citizens not to leave their homes, except out of extreme necessity and prevent gatherings contravening” the order, Diab said.

This would take the form of patrols and roadblocks, and those found disobeying would be pursued.

Diab again called on all Lebanese to observe a curfew, “as the state cannot face this creeping epidemic on its own.”

Last Sunday, the government ordered all people to stay at home and all non-essential businesses to close.

The airport has been shut since Wednesday. Lebanon’s PM

The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest crisis to hit the country, already reeling from a financial meltdown and months of widespread public discontent.

Officials fear the local health system would struggle to cope if cases dramatically increase.

Earlier on Saturday, police patrolled several areas of the capital Beirut, using loudspeakers to call bystanders to go home.

On the seafront, they pursued and flagged down joggers, pleading with them to head back indoors.

An estimated 900 million people are now confined to their homes in 35 countries around the world - two thirds by government lockdown orders, according to an AFP tally.

source: AFP levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
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