Photos and videos of Lebanon’s once bustling airport, but now completely empty, surfaced online amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, often criticized for being too crowded to function properly, was shut down on Wednesday as part of the country’s precautionary measures to stop the spread of covid-19.
Read more in our dedicated coronavirus section here.
“Beirut airport completely shut down in a scene unfamiliar to Lebanese people except during the wars,” Twitter user Darine Hachouch wrote in Arabic.
إقفال مطار بيروت ✈️🇱🇧
— Ali (@alihassanjaber3) March 19, 2020
يسود الصمت قاعة الإستقبال، والطائرات أطفأت محركاتها وأقفلت أبوابها.
📸 Nabil Ismail pic.twitter.com/R1rlEvQ3Gc
“Silence prevails in the arrivals hall,” Twitter user Ali Hassan Jaber wrote in Arabic. “The planes shut off their engines and closed their doors.”
صوت السيدة التي تنادي المسافرين يصدح في مطار رفيق الحريري الدولي #بيروت رغم اغلاقه، مما يزيد من كآبة المشهد. pic.twitter.com/RlsKqtP7vh
— Ghinwa Yatim (@GhinwaYatim) March 19, 2020
Lebanon announced several measures on Sunday including closing the capital’s airport, in addition to sea and land ports. People were also ordered to stay home, except for urgent matters.
Read more: Lebanon declares state of emergency, orders two-week lockdown
The country has 163 confirmed coronavirus cases and four deaths, according to the health ministry.
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