This archive report was first published on 23 August 2020.
Published on August 23, 2020, the New York Times reported that Lebanon had recorded 3,241 Covid-19 cases in the last seven days, bringing its total cases to 10,952, with a population of about 5.5 million, or 160 cases per 100,000 people.
The country's strict lockdown rules, which include a curfew from 6 p.m to 6 a.m., with exceptions for disaster relief efforts around the port, were put in place to combat the rising cases. Markets, gyms, restaurants, and other public spaces were ordered to close until the lockdown ends on September 7.
Lebanon had initially been able to contain the virus with a lockdown first imposed in mid-March, which eased in stages starting in June. However, cases had been rising in the weeks before the explosion that killed more than 170 people, injured more than 6,000, and displaced more than 300,000.
The blast's cause is under investigation, but it was fueled by an enormous cache of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port for years, even after officials were warned of the danger it posed. The country was already paralyzed by a dire economic crisis that left hospitals facing shortages.
The blast rendered three hospitals inoperable, damaged three others, along with many clinics, and destroyed many medical supplies, according to the World Health Organization, which warned that the health care system and workforce were under severe strain. Two of the damaged hospitals had been treating Covid-19 patients.
