As of March 13, Lebanon has 77 confirmed coronavirus cases. Universities and schools have been closed as a precautionary measure [1]. The outbreak comes at a time in which Lebanon is already struggling with its worst economic and financial crisis in a generation due to neoliberal policies. Lebanon is officially one of the most indebted nations in the world. The ongoing crisis has led to the devaluation of the national currency by more than 40 percent, with spiked inflation, and thousands have lost jobs or their wages slashed.
Lebanon’s worsening financial crisis has had dreadful consequences on the country’s medical care system. As recent as this February, public officials, including doctors, announced that there is a shortage of lifesaving drugs and medical supplies, which can no longer be obtained from international suppliers due to Lebanon’s shortage of U.S. dollars.
So naturally, the coronavirus outbreak has hit the country at a time where it is least prepared.
