BEIRUT: Bars and nightclubs in Lebanon were ordered Sunday to close down indefinitely as the dangerous spread of coronavirus showed no signs of slowing down.

The Interior Ministry ordered the closure until further notice of amusement parks, pubs and nightclubs in a bid to curb the ever-increasing daily cases of coronavirus, with more than 1,000 cases being recorded every day in the past month.

Owners of these types of establishments will be taken to court under law if they do not abide by the governmental order, the ministry statement said.

The curfew between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. was maintained in the ministry decision, which reiterated orders to wear masks at all times, stressing that those who violate this rule will be subject to fines .

In addition, 169 towns and villages across Lebanon were put under lockdown, which is set to start on Oct. 12 at 6 a.m. through Oct. 19 at 6 a.m.

All private and public institutions are to close down while all social and religious events as well as celebrations are to be cancelled in these towns. The health sector, supermarkets and some factories will remain open during the lockdown period.

This comes after 111 towns and villages were set under lockdown last week, as a new localized approach to containing the virus was introduced along with a new zonal mapping system to determine the intensity of cases in each area.

Districts where towns and neighborhoods will go under lockdown include Tripoli, Zgharta, Chouf, Metn, Jbeil, Baabda, Aley, Sidon and Tyre.

The Interior Ministry also said a maximum of three people can ride in public cars including the driver, and four for private cars. Public buses and vans are to take in customers at half capacity.

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