Covid-19: Hotels in Lebanon cut 17,000 jobs amid coronavirus outbreak

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Hotels in Lebanon have reportedly cut 17,000 jobs amid an economic slowdown and due to coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

Local media quoted Syndicate of Hotel Owners president Pierre Ashkar as saying that the current occupancy rate in Lebanon’s hotels stands at 5%.

In order to minimise expenses, many hotels are believed to have closed down.

Ashkar told online independent newspaper Elnashra: “Around 90% of hotels in Lebanon have stopped 95% of their operations and services and the remaining employees are paid half of their salaries or even less.”

Due to the wide spread of the Covid-19 outbreak, the government urged most businesses in Lebanon to close down to further contain the spread of the virus.

As reported by Asia Times, the Wuhan virus has infected at least 99 people and killed another three in the country.

At present, two Asian countries and six European countries are among the ten most affected list of countries with coronavirus.

COVID-19 has reached about 140 countries including China, but tested negative in at least 11 countries, as of 17 March.

Last December, Ashkar was quoted by Xinhua as saying that the crisis at that time risked around 150,000 jobs in the hospitality sector. Hotels in the country could not cover their expenses and also delayed their employees’ salaries.