People pass in front the emergency entrance of the government-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut. File/AP

Gulf Today Report

Lebanon has begun a 25-day nationwide lockdown after health ministry confirmed a new daily record of 4,166 coronavirus infections on Wednesday.

According to health ministry figures, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Lebanon has recorded nearly 200,000 cases including 1,537 deaths.  A total of 21 people died on Wednesday.

To limit the spread of the coronavirus Lebanon has gone to its third lockdown as virus hits a new record in the Mediterranean nation and patients overwhelm the health care sector.

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New restrictions to stem the spread of the virus, including a 6:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew, begin Thursday and will last until the end of January.

Vaccines are weeks away from arriving.

A member of Lebanese security checks a visitor's temperature in Saida. File/AFP

It closes most businesses and limits traffic by imposing an odd and even license plate rule on alternating days. It also reduces the number of flights at the country’s only international airport.

On Wednesday, Lebanon broke its single-day record of new coronavirus infections on the eve of the lockdown with 4,166 cases reported in 24 hours.

In Beirut’s commercial Hamra district, many shops were closed Thursday morning as police patrols drove by to make sure the lockdown was implemented. Police checkpoints fined motorists who violated the lockdown orders.

First responders in the country hit by a severe economic crisis say they have been transporting nearly 100 patients a day to hospitals that are now reporting near-full occupancy in beds and intensive care units.

The new peak came after authorities eased measures in December for the holiday season.