Lebanon suspends arrivals from India, Brazil over virus

By Waseem Saifeddin

BEIRUT (AA) - Lebanon on Thursday asked carriers operating at the Beirut International Airport to prevent passengers from India and Brazil to land because of a surge in coronavirus infections in those countries.

Any arrival from India or Brazil must stay 14 days in another country before being allowed to enter Lebanon, according to a statement by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

The National Operations Room announced on Wednesday that a complete lockdown and curfew will be put in place in Lebanon from May 1 to May 4.

Lebanon's infections stood at 522,763 as of Wednesday, including 7,197 deaths and 453,865 recoveries.

India is currently experiencing a skyrocketing increase in infections where since mid-April it registered more than 300,000 daily infections that have brought its health system to near collapse.

Brazil has the third-highest number of infections after India and the US.

*Ahmed Asmar in Ankara contributed to this report