Dr. Firas White, the Director General of Rafik Hariri Hospital, stated that: "What has caused some to not comply with closure measures? Some violate the measures despite their ability to adhere to them, and dealing with these individuals requires imposing deterrent penalties. However, for others, there is a different reason: the poor are less accepting of closure measures because they lack the necessary means to act accordingly."
White added in a series of tweets on Twitter: "Society consists of those who have sufficient resources and those who do not. Some do not comply with the closure not because they don’t want to, but because they cannot afford to. Policies that address only one part of society while ignoring the other will likely not succeed." He continued: "Closure without financial incentives is unattainable, like a luxury item. It is sad, although predictable, when the vulnerable are forced to jeopardize their health for their livelihoods, and at the same time, it is shameful that the affluent use it as an excuse to violate safety measures."
He concluded: "The global COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a rigorous test of good governance. The current COVID-19 situation reflects the existing inequalities in our society and decades of ineffective public policies to address them. It is unfortunate that there is no vaccine to deal with that."
The government announced an update on the strategy to combat the coronavirus and the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions, which will be organized over four phases.
