Coronavirus delivers tough blow to #Lebanon’s dying economy

Coronavirus delivers tough blow to Lebanon’s dying economy:

Through 15 years of civil war and various bouts of violence since, Lebanon’s Barbar eatery never closed its doors, serving up sandwiches to customers even if it meant doing so from behind sandbags.

The coronavirus pandemic, however, has managed to do what various wars could not: Close bars, restaurants and entertainment spots across the tiny Mediterranean country. It’s an economic gut punch at a time when Lebanon is already mired in the worst financial crisis in its history.

While residents of many other countries are counting on a government bailout, that’s not an option in the country teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

“We have never gone through something like this — ever,” said Barbar owner Ali Ghaziri, standing outside his shop on Beirut’s normally busy Hamra street, now completely deserted.