The Supreme Defense Council held a meeting at Baabda Palace, under the chairmanship of President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun.

The Council discussed the items on agenda, where a number of ministers and attendees spoke about the raised topics.

The following decisions were issued:

1-Submitting a termination to the Council of Ministers requiring the re-extension of public mobilization, which was announced to be extended by Decree No.7315/2020 for a period of six months, starting 1/4/2021 until 30/9/2021.

2-Citizens are required to wear masks. Concerned agencies will be instructed to take necessary measures against violators.

3-Emphasizing on activating and implementing the measures and procedures imposed by relevant decrees, during the aforementioned period of public mobilization extension.

4-Requesting the technical committee charged with following up on the control of Corona virus to complete communication with the concerned authorities, trade unions and associations, in order to put measures into practice, and to adhere to procedures and measures which contribute to mitigating the spread of the pandemic.

5-Assigning the Public Health minister to complete communication with vaccine manufacturers to secure vaccines for citizens, while allowing the private sector to secure vaccines through collective and/or sectoral initiatives, under the supervision and controls of the Public Health ministry.

6-Requesting all military and security apparatuses to be strict in deterrence, in suppressing violations in a way that leads to the virus not spreading and transmitting, and to coordinate and cooperate with the civil society and local authorities to achieve this.

7-Requesting the media to cooperate with the military, security and health services, and local authorities, and to continue with positive awareness-raising and preventive campaigns on the citizen’s responsibility to adhere to preventive measures.

8-Instructing the Public Health Minister to complete necessary communications and procedures to avoid the shortage of oxygen, according to required and urgent needs.

9-Assigning the Finance Minister, in coordination with the Public Health Minister and the Central Bank, to follow-up on securing the necessary liquidity in hard currency, for companies which import medical supplies and equipment.

10-Assigning the Energy Minister to take necessary measures in coordination with the relevant ministries and institutions, especially the Lebanese Atomic Energy Authority, to store highly dangerous materials, after withdrawing these materials from oil installations and other places.

11- Assigning the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission to complete communications to find a final solution for the waste of radioactive energy stored at the headquarters of the Commission, taking into consideration the decisions issued by the Supreme Defense Council, in this regard on 21/1/2021.

12-Assigning the Finance Minister to prepare the necessary decree to allocate a sum of 50 billion Pounds, out of the exceptional appropriation specified in the 2021 budget, which is allocated to the President of the Republic, according to Article 85 of the Constitution, to complete compensation payments to those affected by the Beirut Port explosion