Covid-19 Update
- 11 new cases, 870 cases, 234 recoveries, 26 deaths
- NURSES ON INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY: "ANGELS" WITHOUT RIGHTS. On International Nurses Day, Head of Lebanon's Order of Nurses Mirna Doumit held a press conference, denouncing the bad working conditions and decreasing wages of nurses. She threatened to escalate if their demands were not met.
- Doumit also added that while political authorities, including the president and parliament speaker, stood in solidarity with nurses, they were yet to demonstrate tangible action.
- Meanwhile, Prime Minister Hassan Diab described nurses in one of his tweets on Tuesday as "angels on earth". Does sweet talk, in this case, replace their rights?
Kafala System during lockdown: two deaths in one week
- In one week alone, two deaths were officially reported amongst migrant workers without investigating the circumstances. On May 11, a migrant domestic worker was found hanging dead from an olive branch in Ghassanieh, a town in the South of Lebanon.
- On May 7, the Civil Defense reported that they had transported the body of an Ethiopian migrant worker in the Metn area.
- The imposed lockdown and the closure of airports, coupled with the country's financial crisis, have exacerbated the conditions of migrant workers who have long suffered from the kafala system.
Criminal investigation bureau strikes against Dima Sadek again
- The Criminal Investigation Bureau summoned journalist Dima Sadek for an investigation on Friday, according to a status she shared on social media.
- The response given after Dima inquired why she was being summoned was: "We cannot tell you." This is not the first time Sadek is summoned by the bureau.
- On 27 February 2020, she was called in after a lawsuit was filed by the Free Patriotic Movement, accusing her of inciting sectarian and racist strife.
Riot police suppresses protests by Ramco workers
- Security forces cracked down on protests by workers in RAMCO, the company overlooking waste management in Beirut, Matn, and Keserwan.
- RAMCO's workers, whose jobs have carried on as per usual despite the coronavirus outbreak, demanded their rights and the fair payment of their wages.
- Jihad el Arab, the infamous "Contractor of the Republic" is behind RAMCO, a company with approximately 1,100 workers and employees.
Lebanon to be closed down for four days
- The cabinet announced after its meeting in Baabda Palace that the country will be completely locked down for four days, starting Wednesday evening May 13 until Monday morning May 18. This follows the increase of COVID-19 patients across the country. However, this decision doesn't affect the government's insistence to proceed with the repatriation of Lebanese expats.