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Lebanon returns to lockdown as virus cases spike

The lockdown, which runs through Feb. 1, mandates an overnight curfew and the closure of most businesses.
The usually crowded seaside promenade is deserted, during a lockdown imposed by the authorities in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, in the Lebanese capital Beirut, on January 7, 2021. - Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Lebanon has recorded nearly 200,000 cases including 1,537 deaths, according to health ministry figures. 
Health professionals have warned that the latest surge in cases risked causing catastrophe across Lebanon, which is already suffering from the aftermath of a devastati

Lebanon entered a three-week nationwide lockdown on Thursday, in what the government hopes will stave off a surge in infections and hospitalizations that could overwhelm a health care system already under strain.

The restrictions, which include a curfew from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., will last through Feb. 1, caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan said on Monday. Restaurants are closed for in-person dining, and schools and universities must operate remotely.

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