Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat on Monday criticized the government and its premier Hassan Diab in connection with the latter’s latest speech.

“What does this government have in store? Its premier did not mention a word about reform, the electricity sector, the protection of industry and the control of legal and illegal border crossings,” Jumblat tweeted.

Lebanon’s national carrier MEA on Monday announced the temporary suspension of its flights from and to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar until further announcement.

MEA said it took its decision “in light of the resolutions taken by a number of countries on halting travel with the aim of countering the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19.”

Lebanon’s coronavirus cases rose to 41 on Monday following the confirmation of nine more infections, the state-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital said.

In a statement, it said it received 132 individuals at its special coronavirus section of whom 23 were kept in quarantine and the rest were told to observe home isolation.

A man suspected of being infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus was apprehended at Beirut’s airport and returned to the Rafik Hariri University Hospital after he refused to remain in hospital pending the results of the virus test.

Media reports had said that a “coronavirus patient” had escaped from the hospital overnight and headed to the airport where he was “arrested.”

Health Minister Hamad Hasan announced Monday that the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in Lebanon is still “limited,” days after he declared that the country was no longer in the containment phase.

In an interview with Radio Voice of All Lebanon, Hasan said the virus is in “a limited and not a general outbreak phase.”

Lebanon on Monday received a French medical shipment aimed at assisting the country in confronting the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti and French Embassy Charge d'Affaires Salina Grenet-Catalano attended the handover ceremony at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport.

The General Secretariat of the Lebanese Parliament on Monday announced in a statement that all the offices at the parliament building will be shut for a week over coronavirus concerns.

The statement said because of the general public health conditions and out of keenness for the health of lawmakers and their visitors and based on Speaker Nabih Berri’s instructions, it has been decided to:

Security Forces arrested a man who opened random gunfire and threatened to blow himself up on Lebanon’s South highway, the National News Agency reported on Monday.

Saudi Arabia closed off air and sea travel to nine countries, including Lebanon, affected by the new coronavirus Monday.

Speaker Nabih Berri described as “positive” the announcement of PM Hassan Diab late last week, but noted that he should have dwelt more on the problematic issue of electricity, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.