Very shortly after Lebanese authorities began to ease the lockdown, the carelessness of some people immediately began to show: Alarming videos of crowds and lineups at Zara in Lebanon are sparking anger among social media users.
The international apparel and fast-fashion retailer recently reopened some of its branches in Lebanon, after weeks of closure due to the current health situation.
Seeing its doors finally open, a heap of eager shoppers rushed to the store and formed unorganized and dangerous queues.
Many of the people standing in line were not even wearing facemasks, let alone keeping a safe distance from the people around them.
What’s even more striking about this is the presence of children, some of whom were also not wearing protective masks.
Furious Twitter users have been heavily criticizing these shoppers’ irresponsible actions, which can easily cause a second wave of infections in Lebanon right after the first one was barely dodged.
Similar reckless crowds were also seen at H&M and other clothing stores, near beaches, and on streets and sidewalks, giving observers the false impression that the pandemic has long been over.
Perhaps it is enraging sights such as these that brought the restoration of the 10-hour curfew by the Interior Ministry this afternoon.
Social media users also launched – or rather, revived – the بلا_مخ# (#Brainless) hashtag on Twitter, which quickly took the first spot in the trending list in Lebanon on Sunday.
Furthermore, these careless gatherings are probably what prompted the Health Ministry to release a statement on Sunday, urging the Lebanese to “continue to be patient to not lose what has been achieved so far.”
Indeed, if such behavior continues in Lebanon, the readily-critical health situation will only deteriorate and bring more illness and death.
Infection rates are rising again, and the responsibility to suppress them is the people’s this time around, instead of voluntarily boosting them.
