NNA - Prime Minister Hassan Diab lead on Friday the first coordination meeting dedicated to finding optimal solutions in order to fight coronavirus.
Attending the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Zeina Akar, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Nassif Hitti, of Interior Mohammad Fahmi, of Public Health Hamad Hassan, of Social Affairs Ramzi Musharrafieh, of Economy Raoul Nehme, of Energy Raymond Ghajar, of Public Works Michel Najjar, and of Labor Lamia Yammine, as well as the Secretary General of the Higher Defense Council, Major-General Mahmoud Al-Asmar, the Secretary General of the Lebanese Red Cross George Kettaneh, PM’s Advisor on Health Affairs Petra Khoury, European Union Ambassador Ralph Tarraf, Dutch Ambassador Jan Waltmans, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Philippe Lazzarini, Representatives from WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNRWA, UNDP, WFP, Head of ICRC Mission Christophe Martin, and Head of Doctors Without Borders Mission Amaury Gregoire.
Also taking part of the meeting through Skype were Ambassador of the United Stated of America Dorothy Shea, of France Bruno Foucher, of Italy Nicoletta Bombardier, of Germany George Berglin, of Canada Emmanuelle Lamoureux, of China Wang Kejian, of the United Kingdom Chris Rampling, of Switzerland Monica Schmutz, and of Sweden Jörgen Lindström, as well as Senior Health Specialist at the World Bank, Nadwa Rafeh.
At the beginning of the meeting, PM Diab expressed his gratitude to all the participants for their cooperation and continuous coordination during this crisis, stating the importance of working in a concerted manner to find the best solutions to fight the coronavirus.
“There is no doubt that acting quickly is essential at this stage to prevent the number of casualties from increasing,” he said. Diab added: “As you know, we have in the Serail a disaster risk management unit, which began its work last week, and is coordinating all relevant data with the concerned ministries.”
“Two emergency funds have been initiated at the Central Bank, the first being the coronavirus support fund, and the other, the social support fund, and handling both funds will be done in complete transparency through a platform and an audit company to provide daily figures.”
He finally recalled that Lebanon is also facing the Eurobonds' and banking sector's restructuring, as well as developing a fiscal program. “Very few countries, if any, have faced all of that at the same time, and any support we can get from various organizations is more than welcome.”
US Ambassador indicated that she has submitted Lebanon’s request for help to the Departments of State and of Defense.
French Ambassador noted that Paris has already sent 32 packages of gloves and personal protective equipment for the medical personnel treating coronavirus-infected patients. He added that coordination is regular with China, Iran, and Lebanon, noting that they are currently facing problems in shipping the material and equipment that Lebanon needs.
Chinese Ambassador said that the Embassy is ensuring permanent coordination between both the Lebanese and Chinese Governments in order to find means to help Lebanon face this crisis.
Italian Ambassador reminded that Italy is currently facing an emergency and is in desperate need of receiving all needed medical material, underlining the tight coordination with the Lebanese authorities, notably the Ministry of Social Affairs, in order to help the most vulnerable. She finally added that the Italian UNIFIL Contingent recently made a contribution to help Lebanon by donating an isolation room to a public hospital in the South, to receive people who are undergoing the coronavirus test.
Within this framework, the Prime Minister clarified that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is following up closely on the situation of Lebanese students in Italy.
UK Ambassador also highlighted the importance of ensuring all required equipment by coordinating with the local authorities.
EU Ambassador praised the Lebanese Government for the steps taken in order to fight coronavirus and the implemented measures to halt its fast spread. He conveyed EU’s will to help Lebanon in solving its electricity issue.
The World Bank Representative thanked all donors and stated that the WB has established a facility to help provide financial support to tackle the coronavirus crisis, adding that the Bank looks forward to supporting the Lebanese Government and all partners in order to address the social and economic repercussions of this crisis.
Public Health Minister said that Lebanon essentially has “problems in the healthcare status now, in both public and private sectors.” “Our data shows that we have only 1000 ventilators, but 50% of them are already taken for patients with chronic diseases,” he added. Hassan also noted that there is no fund for local suppliers, and that even if the required equipment is available on the international market, it will take 6 to 8 weeks to deliver it to Lebanon.
Minister of Social Affairs thanked the international community for all its efforts, especially after the recent coronavirus crisis, and reiterated the importance of coordination between all parties. “We operate from a nondiscriminatory point of view; all humans are equal no matter their nationality. And every human being on the Lebanese territory will be receiving the same quality of care that we intend to give.” He also mentioned the social safety and the provision of adequate help for the most vulnerable, and the need to provide them with help during this crisis.
Minister of Economy said that many coordination meetings have been held by the Ministry with importers, industrials, and major supermarkets, in order to make sure that the chain of supply for the essential items is still working normally. “We have also worked on measures to be taken by stores that remain open, from the health point of view; and are working on completing recommendations for consumers upon their visits to the stores,” he said. He added that the Ministry is coordinating with insurance companies to cover both Lebanese and foreigners infected by the coronavirus.
Minister of Defense noted the importance of joint work. “It was agreed during the Cabinet session that the Lebanese army will be responsible for all the warehouses, stocks, and for delivering the items to the public hospitals. Private hospitals will themselves ensure transport of required items,” she said.
The Minister of Public Works spoke of the role of the Ministry in limiting and then suspending all flights. He also noted that many people working within this sector are daily workers and that the social and economic repercussions of them staying at home would be very difficult for them to overcome.
Finally, the Minister of Energy underlined the need to address the electricity dossier in coordination with other Governments or companies that are willing to help Lebanon in building, financing, and operating power plants.
After the meeting, PM Diab visited the National Operation Room for Disaster Management and stressed on the importance of issuing daily reports about coronavirus updates to the Lebanese.—Serail Press Office
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