A tissue seller wearing a face mask is seen on a road in Beirut, Lebanon, April 3, 2020. Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Friday by 14 cases to a total of 508, while the death toll went up by one additional case to reach 17, the National News Agency reported. (Photo by Bilal Jawich/Xinhua)
BEIRUT, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Friday by 14 cases to a total of 508, while the death toll went up by one additional case to reach 17, the National News Agency reported.
Lebanon is expected to repatriate Lebanese nationals stranded in some epidemic-hit countries starting on April 5 by sending four planes to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, and Cote D'Ivoire.
Foreign Affairs Minister Nassib Hitti explained that people who will return to Beirut will take the COVID-19 test in their countries of departure and another one in Lebanon to identify those who need to go to hospitals and those who will stay home for self-isolation.
Lebanon has taken strict measures by not allowing people to leave their houses except in emergency cases and the Lebanese army has been deployed in some areas such as Tripoli where clear violations took place in the past days.
