The newspaper Al-Nahar reported today that, coinciding with the renewal of the general lockdown period, merchants in Sidon blocked Al-Najma Square in the city center, demanding the state to reopen their shops, expressing their discontent over not being included in decisions to ease the lockdown period.
The Merchants Association of Nabatieh Governorate had called yesterday on the parliamentary committee responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Defense Council, and the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities to "amend the decision made to reopen the country in four phases." The association also announced that "merchants are unable to pay their employees’ salaries, rents, and other accumulated fees and debts."
