Lebanon Begins Lockdown After Cases Surge Post-Blast

The Washington Post reports:

Lebanon started a two-week lockdown Friday as coronavirus cases continue to surge in the aftermath of the devastating Aug. 4 explosion in the capital of Beirut that killed more than 170 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others.

At least 11,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Lebanon this year, with around half confirmed since the explosion. Cases were rising steadily before the blast but increased dramatically in the past two weeks, as public health experts warned that the crisis was likely to intensify transmission.

After the blast earlier this month, the World Health Organization said that more than half of Beirut’s health centers were “nonfunctional.” Under the terms of the lockdown, a curfew will be in place from 6 p.m. each evening until 6 a.m. the following day. Restaurants, clubs and nonessential shops have also been ordered to close.