BEIRUT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th January, 2022) People are protesting against the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination on the Martyrs' Square in the center of Lebanese capital city of Beirut, a Sputnik correspondent said on Saturday.
On December 1, Lebanese Minister of Health Dr. Firass Abiad announced that all medical workers, education, tourism and public sector employees will be obligated to be vaccinated starting from January 10.
"We are not against vaccination, we are for freedom of choice. The measures introduced by the authorities deprive us of the right to make decisions. They plan to prohibit unvaccinated people from working and students from studying," a participant of the rally told Sputnik.
The protesters believe that the actions of the authorities run counter to the constitution and suspect that COVID-19 data of the Ministry of Health do not correspond to reality and are overstated.
The protest is taking place peacefully, with minimal police presence.
On December 17, the country banned visits to public places, including restaurants and tourist sites, without a vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, as of Thursday, a total of 753,879 cases of COVID-19 were detected in the country, with 9,231 people dead. According to the ministry, 65.5% of Lebanon's population are vaccinated with Sputnik V, Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Sinovac.
