New coronavirus clusters in Lebanon's marginalized communities
For many who have been dealing with the effects of Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis or have been marginalized by their refugee status, the pandemic has not been a priority.
BEIRUT — Nearly four months since the novel coronavirus first arrived in Lebanon, the country’s testing capacity has grown steadily according to medical experts, who express confidence that Lebanon’s health sector will be able to bear the weight of the pandemic. But although the virus remains largely confined to several isolated clusters across the country, a lack of contact-tracing staff, inadequate compliance with quarantine guidelines in certain areas and a low level of concern about the virus among certain impoverished communities have hampered efforts to contain it.
As of May 31, the country had 1,220 confirmed cases and 27 deaths, numbers significantly lower than those of many of its neighbors in the Middle East and Europe. On May 4, the country began a phased reopening of its economy, with a subsequent rise in new cases this month.
For many Lebanese and refugee populations alike, however, mounting concerns about unemployment, low standards of living and social marginalization have continued to present more immediate challenges to daily life than the virus.
Over the last several weeks, most of the new cases among the local population in Lebanon have arisen in clusters in the towns of Majdal Anjar, Mazboud and Jdeidet el-Qaytaa, all of which have been placed under localized quarantines and lockdowns. Another hotspot appeared in a population of foreign workers in Ras el-Nabaa near Beirut. In Majdal Anjar, 15 Syrian refugees, none of whom live in Lebanon's dense refugee camps, had tested positive as of May 29. Jdeidet el-Qaytaa is located in Akkar, one of Lebanon’s poorest districts.
