BEIRUT: Those who violate quarantine rules will be fined, Health Minister Hamad Hasan announced Monday, after Lebanon registered consecutive record highs in recent daily COVID-19 cases.

"The fines will range from LL600,000 to LL5 million," Hasan said, to penalize those who violate quarantine rules and spread the virus.

Travelers who arrive in Lebanon are required to self-isolate until they receive their PCR results, while those who test positive are naturally required to stay home until they recover. Many, however, have been ignoring this rule, causing clusters of infections to emerge.

Fines of LL50,000 for not wearing masks in public are still in force, Hasan said.

The health minister called on people to avoid contact with others as much as possible and for everyone to responsibly abide by coronavirus prevention measures.

The closure of the airport is not on the table, Hasan said, and neither is another lockdown.

Lebanon has been witnessing a new wave of COVID-19, recording three successive all-time highs of daily coronavirus cases this past weekend, with 166 cases detected Sunday.

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