Lebanon will announce a “state of medical emergency” on Sunday, shutting down all public and private institutions except hospitals, pharmacies and bakeries in an effort to contain a coronavirus outbreak, a presidential palace source said.

Supermarkets “will open within specific times, not all the time”, while banks will be ordered to close, “but perhaps not immediately in order to give people time to secure money,” the source told Al Jazeera on Saturday night.

The country’s only functioning civilian airport, Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, will not be closed at this time, but that will be considered if the coronavirus outbreak spreads.

The source said the Lebanese cabinet would study a complete ban on movement at an emergency session expected at 3pm (13:00 GMT) on Sunday.

No decision has yet been reached on the matter, and it would include exceptions, the source added.

Lebanon’s Higher Defense Council, which includes representatives from its major security agencies such as the army and the Internal Security Forces, will also meet at 1:30 pm (11:30 GMT) on Sunday.

Legislator Assem Araji, who heads the Lebanese parliament’s health committee, confirmed to Al Jazeera that a state of emergency would be declared on Sunday.

He said the country’s land borders with Syria would be closed and urged people to remain home.

“These are precautionary measures to reduce the virus’s spread,” Araji said, denying that the government was withholding any information from the people.

Source: Al Jazeera