The General Directorate of Civil Aviation has canceled mandatory hotel quarantine for all passengers arriving in Lebanon and replaced it with home quarantine.
The General Directorate of Civil Aviation issued Circular No. 2/6 addressed to all airlines and ground service companies operating at Beirut International Airport concerning procedures related to passengers arriving in Lebanon starting January 27, 2021. This decision entails the cancellation of hotel quarantine for all travelers arriving at the airport, which will be substituted with home quarantine monitored by municipalities in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health. The Directorate clarified in its circular that based on the decision of the ministerial committee tasked with determining the details of implementing decision No. 26/M.S. dated January 11, 2021, regarding passengers arriving via Rafic Hariri International Airport - Beirut, and after the committee found that COVID-19 infections among arriving passengers do not exceed 8 per thousand, or an average of 12 cases daily—a very low number compared to the infections recorded among residents in Lebanon—this necessitates redirecting the efforts made in this context and utilizing them to support the actions undertaken by relevant authorities domestically.
The Directorate added that the circular aims to alleviate the burdens on arriving passengers, who will personally bear the responsibility of taking necessary preventive measures to protect themselves and their families before protecting others.
The Directorate indicated in its circular that home quarantine will be monitored by municipalities in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health and followed up by the National Disaster Committee for combating the COVID-19 pandemic, through an electronic application being prepared for this purpose, which will be announced as soon as it is completed before January 27, 2021.