Najia Houssari

BEIRUT: Health officials in Lebanon fear a warning campaign against coronavirus may backfire if growing numbers of victims conceal their illness to avoid being quarantined.

As the number of virus cases in the country neared 100, Dr. Abdul-Rahman Al-Bizri, an infectious diseases specialist and member of the Health Ministry’s crisis committee, told Arab News that government awareness campaigns “kept people at home,” but also meant some were afraid to visit designated medical centers for fear of being held in isolation.

Al-Bizri’s comments came as the Lebanese Council of Ministers prepared to hold an emergency session on Sunday where it is expected to declare a state of emergency to check the spread of the virus.

Three people are reported to have died from the infection in Lebanon. The global death toll is now over 5,400, with more than 142,000 confirmed cases in 123 countries, according to the World Health Organization.

Al-Bizri said that he expects Lebanon to witness a further rise in the number of infections, though it was impossible to say how many people would fall victim to the illness.

He urged people to stay at home wherever possible to reduce the burden on health institutions if the number of infections jumped significantly.

As of noon on March 14, the Health Ministry reported 93 coronavirus cases at the Rafik Hariri Governmental University Hospital in Beirut and other university hospitals.

Al-Bizri told Arab News that the government crisis committee had recommended that quarantine be carried out in homes to reduce pressure on hospitals.

His warning that many people feared that they would be stigmatized or forced to spend weeks in hospital if they fell ill prompted several politicians to issue statements saying the disease “is not a disgrace.”

MP Rola Tabsh, from the Future Movement bloc, said: “As a result of the wrong approach, coronavirus patients and their families have been feeling guilty and afraid. Fear is pushing citizens to ignore the symptoms and hide them from doctors.

“Coronavirus is not a disgrace. The disgrace is in hiding symptoms, leaving oneself and others at risk of infection. I call for social solidarity.”

Leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, said: “Infections and diseases are not a stigma. We are all vulnerable. Reporting the symptoms and performing the necessary laboratory tests and quarantine is a duty and a right.”

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah told supporters on Friday night that “no patient should be covered up.”

“The infected person must disclose his condition and whoever knows must not cover up for him. Quarantine is obligatory. Protecting oneself and the family is a religious obligation,” he said.

Air traffic at Rafic Hariri International Airport has declined steadily after flights to Lebanon were suspended except from Greece, Geneva, Brussels and Istanbul.

With land crossings to and from Syria due to be closed from Monday, Syrian travelers returning via Lebanon are likely to face problems.
Closure of transport links prompted Minister of Economy Raoul Naama to reassure people that food supplies are secure.

“Food and consumer goods are in abundance and will not be lacking in the market,” he said. “People should not rush to buy more goods than they need.”