Read on Twitter
tw // covid, death, bombings
here’s a thread of what’s happening in lebanon bc no one talks about them, please educate yourselves and rt to spread awareness
here’s a thread of what’s happening in lebanon bc no one talks about them, please educate yourselves and rt to spread awareness
on the 4th of august 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of the city of beirut, the capital of lebanon, exploded, causing at least 207 deaths, 7,500 injuries, and US$15 billion in property damage, and leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless.
the government knew of the risks within the port, way before the explosion, and did nothing to fix it before the explosion. due to the negligence of the caretaker prime minister and three ministers, many innocent lives were ruined.
this, along with the covid crisis, was devastating, financially, and emotionally, for a country that has suffered so much, and has received no support or aid from their corrupt government.
now onto the financial crisis in lebanon. in august 2019, the black market exchange rate started diverging from the official exchange rate, devaluaing the lebanese pound caused by acute USD shortages within lebanon.
dollar shortage also caused 785 restaurants and cafes to close between september 2019 and february 2020 and resulted in 25,000 employees losing their jobs. consumer goods prices have increased by 58% since october resulting from the worst economic crisis in decades.
this economic crisis made lebanon's gross domestic product fall to about 44 billion USD from about 55 billion USD. the fall of the exchange rate caused the 2019–2021 lebanese protests, which ultimately resulted in the resignation of the prime minister and his cabinet.
after the resignation occurred, the COVID-19 pandemic forced additional businesses to close their doors and to lay off their employees. the financial aid from the government was scarce, due to the lack of foreign currencies.
the new prime minister said that the reserves had fallen to “a worrying and dangerous level which pushes the lebanese government to suspend payment of the 9 march eurobond maturity because of a need for these funds”. the shortage of U.S. dollars, used in everyday transactions-
in lebanon, and the crash in the value of the pound have undercut the country's ability to pay for imports, including essentials such as wheat and oil. banks have stopped giving short-term loans to businesses and no longer provide them with U.S. dollars for imports-
forcing people to turn to the black market. there is significant inflation, which caused a massive loss of purchasing power and an increase in poverty. The price of beans, common in the region, was up 55% in march, sugar has seen an increase of 67%-
while wheat, tea, rice, and cigarettes have all gone up nearly 50%. this crisis also created a barrier to every single person who had accounts in lebanese banks; as they are unable to access their deposits, and are unable to withdraw any USD directly.
lebanon’s economic downfall, worsened by the covid-19 pandemic, has lead to lack of access to basic amenities. the economic crisis greatly affected the medical sector, jeopardising the capability of hospitals to provide care.
the migrant workers in the country were among the worst hit sections of the society during the pandemic as they were denied access to labour protection laws and subjected to restrictive sponsorship system.
beirut hospitals are reaching maximum capacity amid an influx of coronavirus patients. there are not enough basic needs such as food and medicine, and where there is, they are being tripled in price. https://twitter.com/steve_hanke/status/1371166739304615938
a surge in coronavirus cases is overwhelming hospitals across lebanon, leading doctors to tell families to care for sick loved ones at home because there's no more space in the wards. ive lost 6 family members from this, and i feel helpless.
their health care system was already weak from economic collapse and the beirut port explosion, which also destroyed several hospitals. now the country records its highest number of daily coronavirus infections of the pandemic, hospitals aren’t able to find beds for patients.
what we can do, is rt, spread awareness. this link allows one to donate without money, as each click generates a dollar donated from the UN approved organisation http://Arab.Org/
caritas works to help those still suffering from the aftermaths of the blast https://www.caritas.org.au/donate/emergency-appeals/middle-east-regional-appeal/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqejW3pmz8AIVVLaWCh28TAI2EAAYAyAAEgLdxPD_BwE
