Cabinet extends general mobilization until April 12

The Cabinet decided on Thursday to extend the general mobilization period until April 12, 2020, and to allocate LBP 75 billion for social assistance and food aid.

The cabinet also set up a partial curfew which requires all businesses to be closed daily from 7:00 p.m. till 5:00 a.m.

The government has instructed Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni to take the necessary steps to old the Central Bank to account for the country's economic and financial collapse. Wazni was also instructed to reveal the central bank's foreign currency reserves.

President Michel Aoun insisted on the need to strengthen the preventive measures linked to the fight against coronavirus, particularly in terms of confinement and curfew.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab, in turn, declared the extension of the mobilization period.

"We are still in a phase of grave danger and it is necessary to extend the general mobilization because the containment of the epidemic requires five weeks," he said, as quoted by Minister of Information Manal Abdel Samad.

Diab "considered that the situation in which we find ourselves does not make it possible to declare a state of emergency."

Speaker Nabih Berri viewed the measures as a positive step in the right direction and "similar to those of health emergency."

Minister Abdel Samad announced the "total closure of businesses and enterprises between 7:00 pm and 5:00 am", adding that a circular would be issued shortly to announce the exceptions.



To watch the full report, please click on the video above.