This weekly update aims to inform our readers of the legal and regulatory measures adopted by the Lebanese authorities to mitigate the impact of the recent Covid-19 outbreak in Lebanon.

 

Here is the list of measures taken between March 30 and April 6, 2020:

1. Ministry of Interior. – Decision n˚479: On April 5, 2020, the Minister of the Interior issued a decision that prohibits the movement of all vehicles on Sundays and restricts the movement of vehicles with odd plate numbers to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and of vehicles with even numbers to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The decision excludes from its scope army vehicles, red cross vehicles, medical vehicles, vehicles owned by medical doctors and pharmacists, food delivery vehicles, garbage trucks, medical supply transport vehicles, food supply transport vehicles, water and fuel supply transport vehicles. The decision will come into effect on April 6, 2020 and will apply until further notice.

2. Ministry of Interior. – Memorandum n˚43/A.M./2020: On April 5, 2020, the Minister of Interior issued a memorandum amending the opening hours of libraries that are exceptionnally allowed to operate under the general mobilization state decreed by the Lebanese Governement.

3. Central Bank of Lebanon. – Decision n˚13215: On April 3, 2020, the Central Bank issued a decision that requires banks to:

• Allow the withdrawal of the total amount of all deposits not exceeding 5 000 000 LBP after converting these amounts to United States Dollars at the rate set by the Central Bank (1507.5 LBP = 1 $) and reconverting the converted amounts to LBP at the market currency exchange rate.
• Allow the withdrawal of the total amount of all deposits not exceeding 3000 USD after converting these amounts to LBP at the market currency exchange rate.
• Make daily declarations of the applicable market currency exhcange rate.
• Apply the rate set by the Central Bank (1507.5 LBP = 1 $) to all other operations.
• Apply the aforementioned provisions for a period of 3 months from the date of issuance of the aforementioned decision.

4. Central Bank of Lebanon. – Decision n˚13216: On April 3, 2020, the Central Bank issued a decision that provides for:

• The creation of a new foreign exchange unit within the Financial Operations Department of the Central Bank tasked with foreign exchange trading at the market currency exchange rate.
• The creation of an electronic currency exchange rate information platform.

5. Ministry of Justice. – Circular of April 1, 2020: The Minister of Justice has extended the closure of all offices of Notary Public in Lebanon until April 12, 2020. For urgent matters, citizens can contact the Notaries on their phone numbers.

6. Ministry of Finance.- Decision of March 31, 2020: The Ministry of Finance has extended the deadline for the electronic declaration and settlement of taxes due on foreign movable capital revenues obtained or transferred abroad by natural and legal persons residing in Lebanon to April 30, 2020. The misnitry has also extended the deadline to file oppositions before the oppositions comitee to April 30, 2020.

7. Council of Ministers.- Decision of March 31, 2020: The Council of Ministers approved the distribution of a financial aid grant in the amount of LBP 400,000 to deprived families. The Council of Ministers also approved the proposal of a mechanism pertaining to the opening of Rafik Hariri International Airport for the repatriation of Lebanese expatriates.

8. Ministry of Labor. – Circular of March 30, 2020: The Ministry of Labor has required all establishments that are exempt from mobilization measures to adhere to the public safety guidelines of the World Health Organization and of the Ministry of Public Health. These guidelines include, but are not limited to: crowd control, maintaining a safe distance between employees, sterilization, mandatory use of protective tools and masks and refusing entry to any employee or client showing symptoms of the virus.

9. Ministry of Interior. – Memorandum n˚42/A.M./2020: On March 30, 2020, the Minister of Interior issued a memorandum amending the opening hours of businesses that are exceptionnally allowed to operate under the general mobilization state decreed by the Lebanese Governement. The memorandum amended the operating hours of factories, teachers affiliated with the Ministry of Education, lawyers working at the Beirut Bar Association on the release of detainees, employees of the Beirut Port, slaughterhouses and farms, markets, distributors affiliated with the tobacco regulatory authority,phone and sim card retailers, supermarkets and “mini markets”, Libanpost, the order of public safety professionals.

For any additional information about the legal issues raised by Covid-19, please do not hesitate to contact our Firm.