SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 28 March 2024, Thursday |

RHUH director slams COVID-19 lockdown breaches

“The photos taken in Faraya over the weekend show people who wished to have a good time. Those people did not violate lockdown procedures and went out of their homes due to hunger or because of the economic situation, the Director of Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH), Dr. Firas Abiad, wrote on Twitter.

“Having fun can actually bring relief, and it is good for mental health,” he said, though he noted that “all this does not make the situation any less alarming.”

“After 4,387 deaths, including children and young people, and photos of patients being treated in hospital corridors or in parking lots, one expects community members to take the COVID-19 epidemic more seriously. But it seems that such ‘expensive’ lessons were not learned or were simply ignored by some.”

He noted however that “it is unfair to generalize; there is no doubt many community members act responsibly,” adding “with COVID-19, it only takes one infected person to spread the virus among innocent workmates or unwary family members.”