UN urges people to abide by preventive measures to contain COVID-19 spread amidst unprecedented health emergency

13 January 2021 – As Lebanon registers new records in the daily surge of COVID-19 infections and after the Lebanese government has declared a health emergency, UN Lebanon and partners call on individuals and all sectors to strictly abide by the lockdown and preventive measures.

Despite continued efforts by many individuals, families, communities, public and private services, businesses and industries that have been applying preventive measures since February 2020, the number of cases has increased to the extent that ICU beds are no longer available in Beirut and 1,705 people have lost their lives, out of 226,948 cumulative cases, as of 12 January 2021. The increase was primarily driven by a significant increase in social gatherings during the holiday season, such as restaurants, crowds at bars, weddings, shopping malls and elsewhere. COVID-19 is a deadly disease impacting the health of individuals, their livelihoods and the economy. It will only decrease if individuals and all public and private sectors abide by preventive measures strictly and consistently.

“We have reached a tipping point in our year-long fight against COVID19. The virus is spreading like wildfire and is weighing heavily and severely on Lebanon’s multifaceted crises, making people’s life unbearable on different fronts,” said Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon. “Business as usual is no longer an option and fighting this deadly virus doesn’t spare anyone. We have all a role to play, a social responsibility to recognize and shoulder. That’s why we must all redouble our efforts and take simple but life-saving preventive and safety measures because every single person’s support and contribution is crucial to that effort,” she added.

UN Lebanon and partners will flood their digital platforms with a new campaign to extend the promotion of the preventive measures and behaviors, as part of the UN response to contain COVID-19 through communication and community engagement strategies. UN support to the COVID-19 national plan also includes immediate coordinated response plans and actions to control the transmission of the virus, such as the provision of technical assistance, health supplies, services and equipment, and capacity building.

Download the video messages and disseminate them to fight COVID-19 in Lebanon:

Campaign video

COVID Preventive Measures videos

Share the video, follow #TimeToAbide and #StopCOVIDNow and share the messages that will help families protect themselves and contain the alarming spread of the virus by complying with the preventive measures:

• Wash your hands frequently.
• Maintain a physical distance of at least one meter.
• Wear a mask, particularly when physical distancing is not possible.
• Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
• Keep rooms well-ventilated
• Apply additional disinfection and protection measures at home and the workplace.

****************

Learn more from the daily updates provided by global and national health authorities:

Arabic:

https://www.who.int/ar/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

https://www.moph.gov.lb/ar/Media/view/32419/1/covid-19-

http://drm.pcm.gov.lb/

https://corona.ministryinfo.gov.lb

English:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

https://www.moph.gov.lb/maps/covid19.php

For media queries, please contact UN Lebanon:

Blanche Baz, bbaz@unicef.org Tel: + 961 3 331874

Hala Habib, hhabib@who.int Tel: +961 3 870459

Nadine R. Abi Zeid Daou, daou@un.org Tel: + 961 76348486