Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Dr Hassan Diab, chaired on Friday a meeting of the Ministerial Committee for the Follow-up on Coronavirus in order to address the challenges faced by the country in light of this global pandemic.

“We have been working for a week with the commercial sector so as to determine how to reopen this sector in Lebanon,” the caretaker Minister of Economy and Trade, Raoul Nehme, said following the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Defense Minister, Zeina Akar, Minister of Economy and Trade, Raoul Nehme, Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Mohammed Fahmi and Health Minister Hamad Hassan, all serving in the caretaker government, in addition to other ministers and officials.

“We have reached a mechanism which was adopted by the Ministerial Committee; it aims to immunize employees from COVID-19 infection,” Nehme said, adding “we have one week to prepare for the reopening which is scheduled for next Monday, March 1.”

“Until then, we will be deciding on the commercial sectors to be reopened. As from next Monday, the commercial stores to be reopened should take the necessary procedures to be registered on the platform in order for employees to do PCR tests,” Nehme said.

He also noted that the caretaker Minister of Health is due to explain, in a televised interview to be aired tonight, everything related to vaccinations as well as the stages of inoculation.