Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday called for imposing a total and strict lockdown as Lebanon has entered the phase of “grave danger” with the dramatic spread of coronavirus.

"All indicators on the virus outbreak clearly show that we have entered or are at the cusp of entering the phase of grave danger," Diab said at the beginning of the ministerial committee meeting.

"It is our duty to protect the Lebanese from themselves because of the irresponsibility of a large number of them,” he added.

"We have to either contain the situation through a complete and strict lockdown or we will be facing a Lebanese model that is more dangerous than the Italian one," he warned.