Lebanese Ministry of Information
Caretaker Minister of Information, Manal Abdel Samad, announced in a joint press conference with caretaker Minister of Public Health, Hamad Hassan, that “the situation is dangerous and the death rate is on the rise. Medical staff has not been spared from the virus. Out of every 50 people in Lebanon, there is one infected with the virus, and the recovery rate is at 50%, while the death average is 11 per day.”
“Are we prepared to lose 3,000 of our people per year?” she asked.
“The media has become a partner today in raising awareness, and citizens must cooperate with the security forces,” Abdel Samad emphasized, noting that “the media is being tested now, especially in limiting the spread of false news.”
The minister hoped citizens would “adhere to wearing masks and to social distancing measures.”
For his part, the Minister of Health affirmed that “Lebanon’s special circumstances have led us to adopt an option that takes into account the minimum period of closure while respecting the recommendations.”
“The media has played an effective role in reducing rumors and false news about the coronavirus crisis,” he asserted.
“We are raising the readiness of state medical institutions to confront the coronavirus pandemic in light of the inaction of private hospitals. We seek to increase the number of beds in hospitals and reduce the number of infections,” Hassan added.
He pointed out that “our society is young, and this reduces the death rate to 0.5%,” stressing that the infections rate decreased slightly this week, and that home isolation has several benefits.
NNA
