A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For March 14-15/2020 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 150th Day

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A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For March 14-15/2020 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 150th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
March 15/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 14-15/2020
93 coronavirus cases in Lebanon
Health Ministry: Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rises to 93
Coronavirus: UAE suspends flights to Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Syria
Lebanon Closes Border Crossings with Syria over Coronavirus Concerns
Lebanon Purchases Medical Supplies As Cases Hit 93
US Ambassador to Beirut: Washington Backs Protesters’ Legitimate Demands
Geagea Vows to Sue Lebanese PM if Govt. Fails to Take Needed Measures against Coronavirus
Lebanon: Controversy Surrounds Nationalization Decree
Exposure to Lebanese credits: Ashmore fund suffers $1 bln net outflow
Saudi Embassy reduces its working hours, effective Monday
Nehme urges food and consumer supply traders not to take advantage of prevailing circumstances
Interior Minister’s Press Office denies news of transferring corona infected patients to the Faculty of Information’s building in Wata al-Msaitbeh
Series of meetings at the Government Serail tackle raising level of preparedness
Aoun to address the Lebanese at the beginning of the cabinet’s session tomorrow
Ezzeddine contacts Abdel-Samad to follow up on the issue of distance learning
First Lebanese national joins the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
Bassil launches a campaign to confront Corona virus: A collective responsibility, state of emergency inevitable
Al-Tabsh: Corona is not a disgrace!
Arslan: With awareness and responsibility we can cross this phase
Abdullah: The Lebanese individual and his safety is the main issue
Economic crisis may pave way for reforms to Lebanon’s sponsorship system/Abby Sewell, Al Arabiya English/Saturday, 14 March 2020
Restaurants and public life in Lebanon suffer amid new coronavirus measures/Michal Kranz/Al Arabiya English/March 14/2020
Lebanon’s Hezbollah won’t oppose IMF aid under ‘reasonable conditions’: chief/The New Arab & agencies/March 14/2020
Lebanon to declare emergency after a severe storm

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 14-15/2020
93 coronavirus cases in Lebanon
Perla Kantarjian/Annahar/March 14/2020
BEIRUT: According to a statement issued Saturday noon by the Ministry of Public Health, the tally of coronavirus cases in Lebanon increased to 93. The number entails the patients who underwent lab tests and tested positive, and was confirmed by the Rafic Hariri University Hospital as well as numerous others. The statement also said that tests were conducted on all suspected people who arrived from countries with the COVID-19 outbreak, and whoever came in contact with them. Additionally, the ministry urged the Lebanese citizens to abide by all the demanded precautions issued by the concerned authorities and leave their homes only if and when absolutely necessary. Also on Saturday, the United Arab Emirates suspended flights to and from Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq, to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, which was declared a world pandemic by the World Health Organization on Wednesday. On Sunday, the Council of Ministers in Lebanon will hold an emergency session to look into the latest developments and required procedures to restrict the spread of the coronavirus. The emergency session will be followed by a Supreme Defense Council meeting.

Health Ministry: Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rises to 93
NNANNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
As of March 14, 2020 at noon, the total number of coronavirus cases in Lebanon has risen to 93, the Health Ministry announced Saturday in a statement. The lab tests include patients diagnosed at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital and a number of other university hospitals, the Ministry’s statement said.The Health Ministry also reminded citizens to remain at home and not to go out “unless absolutely necessary.”

Coronavirus: UAE suspends flights to Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Syria
Tamara Abueish, Al Arabiya English/Saturday, 14 March 2020T
The UAE will suspend flights to Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey as of March 17 as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Saturday. “The decision to suspend flights to the four countries came after the General Authority of Civil Aviation in the country evaluated the global situation,” the authority said in a statement. The UAE has confirmed 85 cases of the deadly coronavirus. The UAE also announced on Saturday restrictions on visas as additional measures to contain the virus. Since the outbreak, the country has temporarily shut schools and universities, ordered bars and night clubs to close, and closed several tourist attractions.

Lebanon Closes Border Crossings with Syria over Coronavirus Concerns
Beirut – Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 14 March, 2020
The Lebanese government decided on Friday to close all border crossings with Syria for a week starting next Monday as part of preventive measures to face the coronavirus outbreak. The Lebanese Health Ministry said that the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases is 77, including those diagnosed at the Rafic Hariri University Hospital, and other university hospitals. Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Lebanese authorities informed Syria about a decision to close border crossings as part of a series of measures taken in the past week to fight the virus. “The decision would go into effect starting Monday to allow the Lebanese living abroad to travel to Lebanon by land,” the sources said. Lebanon has stopped all flights between Italy, South Korea, Iran and China for a week. It banned the entry of passengers from France, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Germany, Spain and the UK. The source confirmed that tight measures were also imposed on illegal border crossings with Syria after the military and security forces set up earth mounds and observation towers. Lebanese officials on Friday held meetings with representatives of international NGOs concerned with the Syrian refugees to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak at the overcrowded camps. “Following talks, they agreed to quickly establish two field hospitals in the Bekaa valley and the north where Syrian refugees have a high presence,” the sources added. Similar talks have been held with Palestinian officials to discuss preventive measures at the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon. “The government’s measures to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus across Lebanon is considered an unofficial state of emergency,” thee sources explained. Several parties have criticized the government for not announcing a nationwide state of emergency to limit the spread of the virus despite the rising number of infections. Asharq Al-Awsat learned that international companies have informed their employees to work from home.

Lebanon Purchases Medical Supplies As Cases Hit 93

Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 14 March, 2020
The Governor of the Central Bank, Riad Salameh, has asked all Lebanese banks to give priority to transfers aimed at purchasing medical supplies and equipment to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, as confirmed cases reached 93 on Saturday. Lebanon is grappling with an acute hard currency crunch that has led commercial banks to impose strict controls on the withdrawal and transfer of dollars abroad, restrictions that have hit imports even for critical goods. Health officials have warned that Lebanon’s deep financial crisis raises serious questions about its ability to contain a coronavirus outbreak if cases rapidly increase, amid looming shortages for even basic essentials like masks and gloves. Salameh “asked that all Lebanese banks give priority to transfers for the purchase of medical supplies and equipment for combating coronavirus,” the statement said. The Ministry of Health announced a case among its employees in the central administration, who had been in contact with one of their diagnosed relatives. The ministry said it was taking the necessary procedures to isolate the employee, identify contacts outside and inside the ministry, collect samples, and put those who had direct contact with the patient in quarantine. Meanwhile, Education Minister Tarek al-Majzoub ordered the extension of schools and universities closure. In a statement, the minister announced on Friday that the schools and universities across Lebanon would remain closed nationwide in order to ensure the safety of the educational sector. While Friday prayers in mosques across Lebanon were suspended in implementation of the preventive instructions to reduce gatherings, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai stressed that caution was very necessary, urging everyone to stay home, and not go out except when absolutely needed. The national committee to follow up on the preventive measures and procedures for coronavirus, after its meeting on Friday, required all private hospitals of category (A) to be equipped to receive coronavirus patients within a period of one week, in line with the plan of the Ministry of Public Health. The government on Wednesday announced heightened countermeasures including a ban on flights from virus-hit countries and the closure of restaurants, malls, and many public venues. Lebanon’s banks said they will shut on Saturday in order to take steps to sanitize branches.

US Ambassador to Beirut: Washington Backs Protesters’ Legitimate Demands

Beirut – Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 14 March, 2020
US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea has said that Washington backs the “legitimate demands” of anti-government protesters. The diplomat met on Friday Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab in a protocol visit at the start of her new mission. “The United States continues to back the protesters’ legitimate demands for economic opportunity, accountability, and transparency. Only by meeting those demands can Lebanon initiate the difficult process of restoring international confidence,” she said in a statement released by the embassy. She expressed honor to serve as the US ambassador to Lebanon and lauded the Lebanese people for their hospitality, resilience, diversity, and entrepreneurship. Shea said she discussed with Diab “the strength and potential of the US partnership with Lebanon, and our shared stake in a Lebanon that is stable, secure, and sovereign. This is a partnership that is vitally important not only to both of our countries, but to all of the countries in the region.” The Lebanese people “have rightly called for reform, an end to corruption, and the imposition of effective policies necessary to extricate Lebanon from its unprecedented economic crisis,” stated the ambassador. A wave of protests erupted last October against the country’s ruling elite, forcing the resignation of PM Saad Hariri. Diab has pledged that his new government would work to address protester demands and try to tackle Lebanon’s economic and financial strains. Shea said Friday that the US seeks a “bright future for the Lebanese people, who deserve a stable, secure, sovereign, and prosperous country.” “We stand with the Lebanese people in encouraging their government to effect real change in its policies, and to chart a course that will earn the confidence of those it means to govern – and, in doing so, secure the support of the international community,” she added.

Geagea Vows to Sue Lebanese PM if Govt. Fails to Take Needed Measures against Coronavirus
Beirut – Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 14 March, 2020
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea threatened on Friday to sue Prime Minister Hassan Diab if the government fails to take the necessary measures to counter the coronavirus outbreak in the country. In a televised address, he said Lebanon was one of the countries most at risk from the new virus. “It is not an example in how to fight the virus, but it is in the top half of the countries that are affected by the outbreak,” he added. “The government has not taken all required precautions,” he continued. He have the example how the first diagnosed patient had arrived to Lebanon onboard a plane carrying 200 passengers, all of whom went home. “We know that the incubation period of the virus can last up to 21 days,” Geagea remarked. The government has failed to limit the spread of the virus, he charged, saying it should have shut land, air and sea borders. The entire country must be put on lockdown because it lacks sufficient medical equipment and medicine to treat patients, he warned. The government should have taken preventative, not treatment measures, he went on to say. “If the situation persists and the government fails to assume its duties, then we will sue the prime minister and health minister,” Geagea said. Lebanon has registered 93 cases of the virus. Former deputy PM Ghassan Hasbani said the government appears to be basing its decisions on political considerations, citing its hesitation in halting flights from Iran. The government has been late in taking precautions, he added. The cabinet on Friday decided to shut Lebanon’s border with Syria starting Monday in order to prevent the spread of the disease. Syrian authorities have been informed of the closure, which will last one week.

Lebanon: Controversy Surrounds Nationalization Decree

Beirut- Youssef Diab/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 14 March, 2020
The Lebanese Presidency denied information circulated by activists on social media, talking about the issuance of a new naturalization decree for a number of people of foreign and Arab nationalities. The Presidency confirmed that the new decree was for “the restoration of nationality for people of Lebanese descent.”The restoration of citizenship decree included 423 people, mostly from Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Egypt, Uruguay, and South Africa. A decree issued in the Official Gazette circulated on social media, including the names of hundreds of naturalized persons, has sparked confusion, as it comes after the naturalization decree issued in May 2018, which included Syrians, Palestinians, Jordanians, Iraqis, and other citizens from Western countries. The Information Office in the Lebanese Presidency denied the reports, stressing that President Michel Aoun has issued a decree to restore the citizenship for a number of people of Lebanese origins. “This news is false, fabricated, and deliberately promoted for well-known reasons,” an official statement said. “Restoring citizenship decrees, published in the latest issue of the Official Gazette and reported by various media outlets, pertain to individuals residing abroad and of Lebanese descent. These decrees are issued according to Law No. 41 (24/11/2015), which defines the conditions for regaining Lebanese citizenship,” the statement added. The media office of Minister of Interior Mohamed Fahmi also responded to the reports, saying in a statement: “Some have circulated on social media a list of names published in the Official Gazette, claiming it was part of a new naturalization decree.”“The media office of Minister Fahmi is keen to clarify that the Minister has not filed any new decrees for naturalization since he assumed his duties as Minister of Interior and that the aforementioned names fall within decrees to restore Lebanese citizenship to those who deserve it, as per Law 41 of 2015,” it added.

Exposure to Lebanese credits: Ashmore fund suffers $1 bln net outflow
Reuters, Beirut/March 14/2020
An emerging debt fund run by investment manager Ashmore Group loaded with securities from troubled Argentina, Lebanon and Ecuador has been hit by net investor outflows of more than $1 billion since August, according to Morningstar data.
Net returns of the Ashmore SICAV Emerging Markets Short Duration Fund, which has net assets of $5.1 billion, are down 20.3 percent in the year to date, compared to a 3.5 percent loss for the benchmark JPMorgan EMBI Global index, Refinitiv data shows.
$318 million left in three months
Around $318 million left the fund in February after monthly outflows in August, October and November. Between the end of last month and February last year, the fund had net inflows of $1.04 billion, the Morningstar data showed. Since August, net outflows totaled $1.1 billion. The reason is likely heavy exposure to troubled credits -nearly a quarter of the fund is invested in Argentina and Lebanon, up from around 8 percent from the same period in 2019, according to Refinitv data from the end of January, as the emerging markets specialist bought up bonds hammered by last year’s financial turmoil in those countries. Ashmore, which in total has about $100 billion assets under management, declined to comment. But it last month defended the short duration fund’s strategy, saying it was designed to take account of bouts of volatility in high-yielding emerging markets. It was too soon to judge the success of its ” “dislocation” rades on Lebanon and Argentina, it argued. Among the fund’s holdings is a Lebanese $1.2 billion Eurobond which matured on Monday and will not be repaid. That issue has lost nearly half its value in the past week. Lebanon declared on Saturday it could not continue servicing debt. Argentine bonds have also fallen, and economy minister Martin Guzman said this week the country will need “substantial relief” as it restructures nearly $70 billion in debt with international bondholders. The fund’s largest weighting of 15 per cent is in Ecuador, the data showed. While Ecuador has not defaulted, it is reeling after huge unrest last year and the recent oil price collapse; its sovereign bonds have tumbled around 50 per cent this year.

Saudi Embassy reduces its working hours, effective Monday
NNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
The Saudi Embassy in Beirut announced, in a statement on Saturday, that “in accordance with the preventive and precautionary measures recommended by the competent health authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of its determined efforts to control the Corona virus and prevent its spread, and out of concern to protect the health of the Embassy staff, its visitors and those who benefit from its services, it was decided to reduce official working hours temporarily, starting Monday, March 16, to be from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.”

Nehme urges food and consumer supply traders not to take advantage of prevailing circumstances

NNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
Economy and Trade Minister Raoul Nehme met Saturday with suppliers, supermarkets and food and consumer shops owners, and asked them to increase their working hours temporarily, while taking precautionary measures, to enable citizens to purchase their needs and mitigate mass gatherings to limit the spread of the Corona virus.Nehme also urged them to “demonstrate national and social responsibility, and not to take advantage of the current exceptional circumstances by raising prices unjustifiably.”The Minister was, in turn, reassured by suppliers during the meeting that food and consumer items are available abundance and will not be cut off from the market; hence, there is no need for citizens to rush to buy goods more than needed.

Interior Minister’s Press Office denies news of transferring corona infected patients to the Faculty of Information’s building in Wata al-Msaitbeh
NNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
The Press Office of the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Mohamed Fahmy, denied in an issued statement Saturday, the recent circulated news about “the transfer of a number of patients infected with corona virus from the city’s southern suburb to the Faculty of Information’s building in the area of Wata al-Msaitbeh, amidst an armed presence.”The statement explained that the video attached to the circulated news belongs to a previous popular movement in one of the Lebanese regions, adding that the presence of a number of people in the Faculty of Information’s building premises in Wata al-Msaitbeh is due to the fact that, after suspecting the infection an engineer in the Engineering Syndicate’s branch in Dbayeh, the Syndicate urged all engineers in said branch to come to the Engineering Syndicate’s headquarters, adjacent to the Faculty of Information in Wata al-Msaitbeh area, to undergo the necessary tests to ensure their safety.

Series of meetings at the Government Serail tackle raising level of preparedness
NNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
Several meetings were held on Saturday at the Grand Serail to follow up the procedures and measures related to the prevention from Corona virus. Bakery owners unions, supermarkets and distributors unions, water distributors and industrialists, health sector, army and security forces, insurance companies, and agricultural unions respectively partook in those meetings, under the supervision of the Prime Minister Hassan Diab, and with the presence of Ministers of Defense Zeina Akar, Interior Mohammad Fahmi, Economy Raoul Nehme, Industry Imad Hoballah, and Labor Lamia Yammine, in addition to the corona virus committee members, General Mahmoud Al-Asmar and PM Consultant for Health Affairs, Dr. Petra Khoury. Discussions touched on adopting required measures, respecting the recommendations of the Ministry of Public Health, and taking all necessary precautions in terms of hygiene and health practices. {PM Diab’s Press Office}

Aoun to address the Lebanese at the beginning of the cabinet’s session tomorrow
NNANNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
At the start of the cabinet’s meeting at Baabda President Palace tomorrow afternoon, the President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, is expected to address the Lebanese on the developments related to combating the Corona pandemic and the measures that will be adopted in this respect.

Ezzeddine contacts Abdel-Samad to follow up on the issue of distance learning
NNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
As a follow-up on the issue of securing distance learning service for Lebanese students, Women and Child Committee Chair, Deputy Enaya Ezzeddine, contacted Saturday the Minister of Information, Dr. Manal Abdel-Samad Najd, briefing her out the outcome of her meeting with Education Minister Tariq al-Majzoub, where the idea of allocating TV hours for educational programs was raised. Ezzeddine relayed Abdel-Samad’s great welcome of this initiative, expressing the readiness of the Ministry of Information to place all its capabilities into rendering this project a success. The MP had called for according the issue of distance learning a high priority, so that students do not waste their time while staying at home. “These sensitive conditions can be an occasion to transform the threat into an opportunity by creating the platform to integrate technology in educational curricula and learning methods, especially in public education,” Ezzeddine asserted.

First Lebanese national joins the European Academy of Sciences and Arts

NNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
The European Academy of Sciences and Arts chose the Head of the Neuroscience Research Center at the Lebanese University, Professor Youssef Fares, to join its cadre, thus becoming the first Lebanese doctor among its members, and officially honored by the Academy during a ceremony held in Salzburg, Austria. The Academy, a European non-governmental and non-profit medical association based in Austria, is home to a group of members who are the most distinguished scientists, artists and business experts, among them Nobel Prize winners, who are elected in recognition of their outstanding achievements in science, arts and governance. The selection of Fares by the Academy denotes a global recognition for his leadership in neurosurgery, and according to its criteria “his outstanding contributions have led to advances in neuroscience, the development of health care institutions, and the building of bridges between Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean”. Fares is the founding Director of the Center for Neuroscience Research at the Lebanese University, Chairman and Director General of Al-Zahra University Hospital, and he is currently the founding President of the Lebanese Society for Spine Surgery and the editor of the leading journal, “Surgical Neurology International”. Fares has more than a hundred researches and studies published in international scientific journals, and has reaped a number of honoring awards in recognition of his academic, research and medical work.

Bassil launches a campaign to confront Corona virus: A collective responsibility, state of emergency inevitable

NNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
Free Patriotic Movement Chief, MP Gebran Bassil, launched Saturday a campaign to confront the Corona virus spread, in a word on the occasion March 14th commemoration, following an online meeting by the FPM National Council to approve its political paper and budget, while adhering to safety standards and preventive measures. “Our role is to confront, not to watch, for we are not spectators, but people of action. Our duty is to contribute to drawing a road map for rescue, implementing it and putting our potentials into place,” Bassil said.
He added: “The Lebanese are known for their toughness, for no matter what the difficulties, we managed to overcome them as a fortified, more healthy society…but our responsibility this time is different….Our responsibility for ourselves and others, our responsibility for everything that is around us and those who live with us at home and in our society and our homeland, is to protect ourselves and others. It is a collective and national responsibility par excellence!”
“Today we remain in our place, not only for our sake but also for the sake of others. We work in the Movement and contribute to the continuation of life, so that we can give the example that the student is able to stay home and study through e-learning…and the worker is sometimes able to stay in his safe place and work from afar…Yet there is a group of people who are forced, due to the nature of their work or their incentive to help others, to be in constant mobility and contact with patients and those infected with the virus, which is an example of courage and dedication, and hats off to them in respect, especially those working in the health sector, including doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and volunteers in the Lebanese Red Cross and others,” Bassil went on.
He stressed that “infection and disease are not a disgrace. We are all exposed, including our family members. Hence, reporting symptoms and undergoing the necessary laboratory examination and self-quarantine when necessary, remain a duty towards our society and our country.”
“We stand behind the state in managing this crisis, and we adhere to its guidelines and support any decision it takes because the epidemiological situation is worrisome, and we are on the verge of reaching an epidemic widespread, with the possibility of exceeding the medical capabilities to care for critical cases, so it seems that a general quarantine decision is inevitable, i.e. declaring a state of emergency, even if painful, to save the largest number of precious lives,” Bassil underlined.
“Crises are a test for humanity, and we are people of confrontation, and not of fleeing or standing idle…This time, confrontation lies in prevention and protection in order to preserve Lebanon and fortify the immunity of our society. Today, we meet electronically to show solidarity with each other and with our society and our state. We meet to confront and resist the spread of the epidemic, and we are all confident that together, through our solidarity, we will defeat this epidemic and any other threat to Lebanon,” Bassil concluded.

Al-Tabsh: Corona is not a disgrace!
NNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
MP Rola al-Tabash deemed via her Twitter account today that “Corona virus is not a shame,” adding, “As a result of the wrong approach, the patient of corona and his family are feeling guilty and fearful, which is pushing citizens to ignore the symptoms that may appear and hide them from the doctor…”“Corona is not a defect, but rather the defect lies in concealing symptoms and exposing oneself and the surrounding to infection….I call for social solidarity, the key to cordoning off and limiting the virus!” Tabsh underscored.

Arslan: With awareness and responsibility we can cross this phase
NNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
Lebanese Democratic Party Head, MP Talal Arslan, tweeted Saturday on the Corona virus issue, saying: “We are each responsible today, just as the state, the government and the relevant ministries…We are required to observe home quarantine to limit the spread of the Corona virus, and to adhere to all the preventive instructions issued by the Ministry of Public Health and those concerned…Through awareness and a sense of responsibility we can cross this critical stage…#Stay home!”

Abdullah: The Lebanese individual and his safety is the main issue

NNA/Saturday, March 14/2020
MP Bilal Abdullah tweeted Saturday on the required measures regarding the Corona virus, saying: “Awaiting the government’s decisions over measures to tackle the Corona epidemic, we are all called upon to stay in our homes, not to mix, and practice voluntary quarantine when necessary…The Lebanese individual and his safety is the issue today. Let us leave all our differences, contradictions and struggles….and work together as one hand!

Economic crisis may pave way for reforms to Lebanon’s sponsorship system
Abby Sewell, Al Arabiya English/Saturday, 14 March 2020
Reforms to Lebanon’s “kafala” sponsorship system for importing migrant domestic workers from Africa and Asia have long been sought by advocates who say the current system is rife with human rights violations.
Over the past year, the reform efforts have found high-level support in the Labor Ministry. Now, with the country’s economic crisis shrinking the purchasing power of Lebanon’s lower and middle classes, some experts say the time is ripe for “dismantling” the system.
A coalition including human rights groups, government officials, migrant workers, and employers, as well as representatives of the embassies of the workers’ countries, gathered this week in Beirut to discuss changes the Ministry of Labor is considering making to the standard work contract for foreign domestic workers, who currently number about 250,000 in Lebanon. The new proposed contract aims to give the workers greater protections and could be a step toward more sweeping legislative changes that would give domestic workers the same legal rights as any other employees in the country.
“This will be quite a change in the way Lebanese employ domestic workers,” Ryszard Cholewinski, senior migration specialist with the International Labour Organization (ILO), which has been coordinating a working group studying potential reforms, told Al Arabiya English. “It will not be a popular reform with everyone, but we also feel that in this time of crisis – not just economic but political – this is also an opportunity to put in place much needed reform.”
While details of the new contract are still being negotiated, as currently proposed, it would address “what have been some of the most abusive elements around the kafala sponsorship system when it comes to domestic workers,” Cholewinski said. For instance, the proposed contract explicitly forbids the common practices of employers confiscating workers’ passports and not allowing them to leave the house on mandated one day off per week. The new contract also increases domestic workers’ mandated annual leave from six days to 15.
And perhaps most important, it will include a clause allowing either the employee or the employer to terminate employment at a month’s notice, which is “very much a step forward when it comes to…addressing issues around forced labor and trafficking,” Cholewinski said. The exact conditions of termination are still being negotiated.
Under the current contract, workers only have the right to terminate the contract if they’re not paid for three months, if the employer or a family member physically or sexually abused them and it’s officially investigated and proven, or if the employer forces them to work a job that they weren’t contracted to do.
At the request of former Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman in April of 2018, the ILO convened a working group to recommend measures that could be taken by the ministry to improve protections for migrant workers. While more sweeping changes – such as removing the language that exempts domestic workers from Lebanon’s labor law – would require approval by Parliament, the Labor Minister can act administratively to change the standard contract. The formation of the working group predated the mass protests that have swept across Lebanon since October and the country’s ongoing economic crisis, but the crisis has added a new urgency to the matter. As Human Rights Watch noted in a recent report, many domestic workers have reported that their salaries have been slashed or gone unpaid as their employers have lost their own jobs or received reduced payments.
Even those who are still receiving payment have seen the real value of their already-low wages decrease as Lebanon’s currency has undergone a de facto devaluation. For instance, a worker who gets 300,000 Lebanese lira a month – the equivalent of $200 at the official exchange rate – now gets as little as $120 at the black-market rate.
Speaking at the meeting convened to discuss the proposed changes, Ghassan Dibeh, chair of the department of economics at the Lebanese American University said that the economic crisis is also likely to bring about a major decrease in demand for live-in domestic workers, given that many of the families who previously employed them are from the now-struggling middle and lower classes. “I think the current economic crisis will bring about the end of the kafala system,” Dibeh said. “Its origin is economic, and its end will be economic.”
Indeed, Ali Amine, president of the Syndicate of Recruitment Agencies in Lebanon, told the group that the number of foreign domestic workers coming to Lebanon had dropped off steeply since 2018. Current Labor Minister Lamia Yammine attended the opening session of this week’s meeting on the proposed reforms, where she told the group that “Lebanon has been and will remain an active member in the international rights system” and is committed to protecting “the rights of all the workers on Lebanese soil, without discrimination.” Yammine declined to be interviewed for this piece.
Some of the workers themselves said they are hopeful that real reforms may finally be made. “Eleven years I’ve been working on this,” said Malani Kandaarachige, a migrant worker from Sri Lanka who is one of the founders of the Alliance of Migrant Domestic Workers in Lebanon. “We’re tired.”
Kandaarachige said she hopes the workers will be given meaningful input in the final contract. “We want our voice as domestic workers, not for someone to give us something to read or somebody to handle us,” she said. “We are the ones facing the problems.”
Meriam Prado of the Philippines, also a founding member of the alliance, said it’s the first time she has seen serious movement on reforms to the kafala system. “There’s a lot of discussion to do, but we’re hoping for the best,” she said.

Restaurants and public life in Lebanon suffer amid new coronavirus measures
Michal Kranz/Al Arabiya English/March 14/2020
As the coronavirus case count in Lebanon climbed to 77 and state authorities registered three deaths, Lebanese authorities closed restaurants, entertainment centers and other public spaces last week.
State authorities had publicly admitted they had been unable to contain the spread of the virus domestically, and along with the country’s syndicate of restaurants announced Wednesday that establishments would close in the country currently in the throngs of economic crisis.
“The stores are all closed, there aren’t people in the street, there is no work,” Mehdi Wehbe, an employee at a clothing store in west Beirut that had remained open, told Al Arabiya English. “They are trying to suspend employees because the companies aren’t paying.”
Already hard-hit by multiple economic and fiscal crises over the last six months, businesses in Lebanon have seen their fortunes decline further as a result of the new measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, the medical term for the new coronavirus. In Beirut’s popular shopping districts and nightlife hubs, cafes, bars, and stores have been forced to close, and those that have remained open have suffered losses as street life has nearly ground to a halt.
Some corporate employees have been unable to go to work, and shop owners stated that many in the industry won’t be able to make ends meet in the case of prolonged national paralysis.
“We in Lebanon in 2006 had a war, and we didn’t see this type of crisis,” Mohammad al-Sibaai, a perfume vendor in Beirut’s Hamra area, told Al Arabiya English. “It’s not a joke — there is death.”
In Hamra, Gemmayzeh, Mar Mikhael, and other previously-bustling popular Beirut neighborhoods, stores, and businesses with seating or public gathering spaces were shuttered, and street activity was markedly lower than usual. The popular Barbar Restaurant, which has two locations in Beirut that are usually open for 24 hours a day and had operated throughout the Lebanese Civil War, had also been forced to close, reportedly with pressure from tourism police.
Some small shops and eateries continued to operate, but with precautionary measures in place.
“We don’t [come into] contact with people, just by delivery,” Ahmad Itani, a shop owner in the Verdun area, told Al Arabiya English. “It’s better and more comfortable for them.”
Like many others, al-Sibaai lamented that the outbreak of COVID-19 added another layer of adversity in a country that had already been dealing with an economic downturn.
Paul Eid, the manager of Mexican restaurant Taco de Madre in Mar Mikhael, told Al Arabiya English that the virus outbreak has caused him to lose money.
“This affects us a lot because we lose a lot of customers, even when it comes to delivery,” Eid said. “They are afraid to order. We are losing a lot of income.”
Others lamented similar problems.
Tony Saab, a shop owner in Mar Mikhael, told Al Arabiya English that while the owners of establishments in previously popular areas understand the necessity of the new social distancing measures, they cannot hold out for long.
“Because of corona, [business owners in the area] say it’s no problem if this lasts to the end of the month,” Saab said. “But they have a problem if it goes longer, because there is rent to pay.”
Another casualty of the new circumstances in the country has been social life. Al-Sibaai, the perfume vendor, said he has started avoiding large gatherings, and Renata Harb, an employee at a telecommunications aggregator who has started working from home because of virus fears, said she doesn’t socialize much with people anymore. “I’m not worried for myself because you’re always worried for the older people, and my grandma lives with us,” Harb told Al Arabiya English. “I’m visiting my friends right now but that’s it. We’re not going out at all.”
Despite the difficulties facing them however, some businesses are taking steps to limit the spread of the virus as much as possible. Disinfection procedures have taken place at currently-closed establishments. Some supermarkets, like Olive and Cheese Fakhani in Verdun, have asked employees to wear masks and gloves while working and have placed sanitizers throughout the market.
“We do all we can to keep our stocks fully loaded to be able to serve the Lebanese people,” Khaled Itani, the branch manager of the supermarket, told Al Arabiya English. “We’re being the impact we want to see in the society that we live in basically.”
While many of the stores that remain open provide the bare essentials, some businesses, like the Plan Bey gallery in Mar Mikhael, have held out amid the widespread closures.
“Since all the museums are closed, we are trying to keep this place [open] for the tourists to show them another perspective of Beirut,” gallery manager Ahmad Haidar, who said he cleans the shop every thirty minutes, told Al Arabiya English. “This place is not crowded by people so for now we are safe.”

Lebanon’s Hezbollah won’t oppose IMF aid under ‘reasonable conditions’: chief
The New Arab & agencies/March 14/2020
Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement, which has strongly opposed foreign interference in the country’s crisis-hit economy, said on Friday it could accept Beirut receiving an International Monetary Fund financial rescue package under “reasonable conditions”. “Any help within reasonable conditions, there’s no problem with it in principle,” the Shia movement’s chief Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address. But he warned that “Lebanon must not fall under anybody’s trusteeship or hand over its financial and economic administration” to outside parties. One of the most indebted countries in the world, Lebanon has been rocked by a months-long political and financial crisis. The country’s pound has tumbled in value and banks have imposed strict limits on dollar withdrawals amid a strangulating liquidity crunch and mass protests against the political class.
Lebanon said last week it would default on its Eurobond debt for the first time, saying that was the only way to shore up its foreign currency reserves. Banking experts have called for an IMF rescue package, saying it would secure desperately-needed international assistance and reassure creditors. But the powerful Shia movement Hezbollah, which along with its allies holds a majority in parliament, has opposed such moves. It has rejected conditions and “ready-made recipes” which global bodies could impose, warning against what it called “foreign guardianship” over the economy. Hezbollah is backed by Iran, whose arch foe the United States has a virtual veto on IMF decisions. The IMF on Thursday urged Lebanon to quickly implement reforms to stabilise the economy. “Given the severity of economic conditions in Lebanon, it’s important that the government designs and implements promptly a comprehensive package of reforms to effectively address the economic challenges and improve Lebanon’s economic prospects,” IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters. While the country has not requested aid from the Washington-based crisis lender, “We stand ready… to assist the authorities in those efforts.” Lebanon’s debt burden is now equivalent to nearly 170 percent of its gross domestic product. Despite a series of crises, the country had never before defaulted, but in recent months it has grappled with its worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Lebanon to declare emergency after a severe storm
Arab News/March 14/2020
BEIRUT: Lebanese people experienced terror on Thursday night when a severe storm ravaged mountain and coastal regions, uprooted trees, caused floods and destroyed cars, refugee tents and public statues.
Several flights were diverted to Larnaca and Antalya airports after strong winds made landings at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport impossible.
The frightening weather conditions came on top of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Social media users described their experience as they stayed at home in line with the government’s directives aimed at limiting the spread of the virus. “Lebanon is flying” was the second most trending hashtag after “Stay home”. Users switched from mocking the situation to sensing its gravity.
“Here comes nature’s wrath after the unemployment, dollar, Eurobonds, banks and imported coronavirus crises. The night of strong easterly winds uprooted trees, damaged buildings and affected people. Disasters, disasters and the greatest disaster of all is the dark horizons. May God protect what is left of Lebanon,” tweeted former minister, Akram Chehayeb. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country has exceeded 80, and includes an employee of the Ministry of Health. “The infected employee works in the Ministry’s central administration. The virus was transmitted to her by one of her relatives,” the Ministry of Health announced, noting that “we are taking all the necessary measures to isolate her, identify those who were in contact with her inside and outside of the Ministry and make sure they self-quarantine at home.”
“A civil or public health emergency might be announced. The people should expect an increase of 20 cases in a single day in Lebanon,” said the Health Minister, Hamad Hassan. He denied the claims that the Ministry is concealing the actual number of cases.
60 hospital beds have been prepared at Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH), which is dedicated to coronavirus-infected patients, to handle the expected increase in cases. The head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, blamed the government for the worsening situation, noting that “the government should adopt a so-called ‘automatic quarantine’ after failing to close air, land and sea crossings and take the necessary measures to prevent the spread of the virus.”
The Association of Banks in Lebanon announced that banks will be closed for sterilization from Saturday, while the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Tarek Al-Majzoub, extended the closure of schools and universities for an additional week. This decision will be accompanied by efforts to set up emergency programs to finish the educational curricula and make up for the lost lessons. Worshipers stayed away from Friday prayers out of fear of transmission.
The storm caused great damage as it uprooted pine and oak trees along the roads of Mount Lebanon, broke the windows of homes and shops, destroyed parked cars, flooded roads, sent bricks flying from the roofs of houses and caused a power cut when some electricity poles fell, which also disconnected cellphone lines in the affected areas. The 120 kilometers per hour winds destroyed highway billboards and crops, which doubled the losses of farmers who are already struggling.
Some post-storm tweets considered that Friday the 13th and the destruction of a statue of Mary in the storm were very bad signs.