Beirut, October 11: Lebanon's Interior Ministry has ordered a lockdown in 169 villages and towns as well as ordering all nightclubs and pubs to close around the country amid a sharp increase of coronavirus cases. The Ministry said Sunday that the lockdown will begin Monday morning and last until October 19. Also Read | Azerbaijan: Seven Dead, Over 30 Injured as Rocket Destroys Building in Ganja.

Pubs and nightclubs will be closed until further notice, it said. The new lockdown comes a week after the ministry ordered a lockdown in 111 villages and towns that ends Monday morning. Some of those towns are included under the new restrictions. Also Read | US: 1 Killed During Shooting at Rival Rallies in Denver.

On Saturday, Lebanon's Health Ministry registered 1,388 new cases of coronavirus, raising the country's confirmed total to 52,558 infections and 455 deaths.

Cases in Lebanon have been rising since early July when the country eased a nationwide lockdown and opened its only international airport. The numbers increased dramatically following an August 4 blast in Beirut that killed and wounded many, as people gathered at hospitals, funerals and anti-government protests.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)