The Ministerial Crisis Cell, which convened this afternoon at the Grand Serail under Prime Minister Hassan Diab, to look into the Coronavirus issue following the recent confirmed case in Lebanon, took a series of decisions based on the recommendations of the “Follow-up Committee on Preventive Measures and Procedures for the Coronavirus”.

In details, the adopted decisions include:

1- Isolation of individuals showing symptoms of infection, and passengers arriving from areas where infected cases have been reported, at the Rafic Hariri Governmental Hospital

2- Ministry of Interior to commission local authorities (municipalities) to supervise the implementation of the procedures for self-isolation of passengers returning from areas that have registered infected cases, and who did not show symptoms of infection, including all persons sharing their residence

3- Ministry of Health to generalize the self-isolation procedures mentioned in item 2 to citizens and relevant authorities

4- Preventing Lebanese citizens and other residents of Lebanon from traveling to the areas that have witnessed Coronavirus cases, and mandating the Follow-Up Committee to provide the Public Security General Directorate with a list of such areas to implement this ban in all land and ports, and at the Rafic Hariri International Airport

5- Stopping campaigns and trips to isolated areas in the following countries: China, South Korea, Iran and other countries, with the exception of necessary travel cases (medicine, education, business), and instructing the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Defense to supervise the implementation of these standards in coordination with the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, the Public Security General Directorate and the Rafic Hariri International Airport Authority

6- Commissioning the Foreign Affairs Ministry, in coordination with the Ministries of Tourism and Public Health, alongside the Public Security General Directorate, to contact Lebanese nationals residing in the affected areas, monitor their health conditions, and coordinate with the local authorities to secure the required treatments and provide them with the necessary guidance

7- Commission the Ministries of Economy and Public Health to prevent the export of individual medical protective equipment (PPE), provide a count of local stock available and secure the import of necessary quantities

8- To spread awareness in sports clubs, schools, nurseries, universities, airport, airplanes and other places of crowded gatherings, of the obligation to implement health protection measures and frequent sterilization, in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Public Health

9- Commissioning the Ministry of Public Health with allocating a government hospital in each governorate/province to be an exclusive center for receiving any case of corona infection and providing it with the necessary specifications and equipment

10- Assigning the Ministry of Information, in coordination with the Disaster Risk Management Unit of the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Public Health, to keep the Lebanese public opinion well-informed, transparently and periodically, of all procedures, decisions, and developments in this respect, in cooperation with the audio-visual and written media outlets and social media websites

11- Restricting the transfer of infected or suspected cases solely with the Lebanese Red Cross Association.

Source: NNA