STREETS EMPTY AS LEBANON’S LOCKDOWN IS ‘BETTER RESPECTED’
▶ Beirut misses the buzz after a 24-hour nationwide restriction takes effect amid rising cases
Beirut’s usually busy streets were much quieter than normal despite a few traffic jams at roadblocks set up to ensure the enforcement of new 24-hour restrictions.
“The lockdown is way better respected this time around because it’s a full lockdown,” said a policeman at a roadblock near central Beirut.
On Thursday, Lebanon entered its most stringent lockdown to date. Until January 25, supermarkets will only operate delivery services and people must obtain prior permission to go out for emergencies such as visiting a pharmacy or any other medical requirements. Some professions, including health care and food transport, are exempt.
The Lebanese government is trying to curb the surging Covid-19 cases after Christmas and New Year as record number of new cases and deaths are reported in the past two weeks.
Overall, the coronavirus has infected 249,808 people and killed 1,866 in the small Mediterranean country.
At the roadblock near the Beirut city centre, many cars were stopped and motorists were fined for not having a permit.
“My employer gave me a letter certifying that I’m out for work, but that’s not enough apparently,” said Abdelhakim Al Masri, a 67-year-old employee of an electricity maintenance company who said he did not know about the new rule.
The exact amount that offenders must pay remains unclear because it is at the discretion of a judge.
“The fine is usually about 100,000 Lebanese pounds, and I don’t think it goes over 300,000 Lebanese pounds,” said the police officer.
That is between $66 and $200 at the official exchange rate, or between $11 and $34 on the black-market rate. The Lebanese economy crashed months before the country was hit by the pandemic. The local currency lost about 80 per cent of its value in the past year.
The lockdown complicates shopping for the country’s poor, who make up more than half of the population.
In Sabra, south of Beirut, people said supermarkets were not ready to deliver their orders.
“They’re worried about problems,” said a man who was carrying groceries.
Vegetable stalls were open on Friday at the popular Sabra market, a day after the Lebanese police tweeted pictures of shops with their shutters down.
“When the police come, everyone closes. As soon as they leave, people open again,” said Khaled, 47, standing in front of a small shop selling hummus.“They can’t really fine us anyway. How are people going to pay? They can barely eat,” continued Khaled, who said he was unemployed.
A number of children and women were seen begging on the muddy streets, asking for as little as 500 Lebanese pounds, or $0.05.
“We have to keep working because otherwise we would have no other income,” said Baker, a young man in his 20s who sells salad, mint and onions at Sabra’s market with his father.
Last August, Baker was removed from his job as a receptionist at an upmarket hotel in Beirut after it was damaged by in the port explosion. An inquiry into the cause of the August 4 blast that killed about 192 people has not concluded.
“Of course, people are afraid of the coronavirus. But they also have to live,” said Baker as he served customers – only half of whom wore face masks.
Despite some activity at the market, most people stayed home on Friday. “This is less than 10 per cent of the usual crowd,” said a man stocking potatoes.
Shops selling anything other than food remained closed.
In a country with a weak government and scant regard for rules, Fariha Saeed, a shopper in her mid-thirties, is taken aback by the overall compliance to the new restrictions.
“I didn’t stock up because I thought the market would remain open. But it’s empty,” she said. “I can’t even find fruit or olive oil. I have no idea what I’m going to cook tonight.”