BEIRUT: Lebanon confirmed 686 new coronavirus cases and 10 deaths Saturday, raising the total number of registered cases in the country to 23,669.

Saturdays numbers registered a jump of 140 cases from the previous day, which recorded 564 cases.

Of the new cases, 679 were detected among the local population and seven among travelers from abroad. There are now a total of 239 deaths due to coronavirus complications since the illness was first detected on Feb. 21.

Cases were detected among 9,888 PCR tests administered in the last 24 hours, bringing the positivity rate to 9.4 percent among the local population, according to the daily Health Ministry COVID-19 report.

Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan said that coronavirus cases had been detected in Roumieh prison among several security officials and a small number of detainees, local media reported.

We are working to secure two hospitals in the Bekaa and a hospital in the capital for prisoners and detainees, Hasan said.

In March, riots broke out in Lebanons Roumieh prison as inmates demanded to be released over fears the coronavirus would soon spread within the grossly overcrowded cellblocks.

Inmates had also expressed anger that the general amnesty law has not been passed yet.

The General Amnesty law, which could potentially include clauses that would apply to those charged with terrorism, assault against the Lebanese Army, drugs and fraud, is yet to be endorsed by Parliament.

Lebanons coronavirus cases saw an alarming surge in August and consequently higher positivity rates, coinciding with the catastrophic Beirut Port explosion. Thousands of injuries from the blast further overwhelmed the already-strained health care system.

On Aug. 26, Lebanons Higher Defense Council extended general mobilization regulations until the end of the year, following an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases over the last two months.

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