Caretaker Minister of Industry, Imad Hoballah, said in a statement on Thursday that "there is no real commitment from the citizens, nor a real commitment by the security forces to take the necessary measures of precaution and apply them against the coronavirus pandemic." 

Hoballah congratulated the industrialists on "their steadfastness and on facing the problems they suffer on the economic, financing and transformational levels." He said: "I share with Minister of Health Hamad Hassan the belief in prioritizing health without ignoring people's social and economic matters. Corona will continue throughout the current year, and it is certain that it will remain for a long stretch of next year at least. Therefore, the Ministry of Health's plan is proactive and bold."

He thus called for "securing the basic necessities of life for a large number of families," pushing for the distribution of financial allocations for them as soon as possible.

The minister also stressed the need to "set up an economic plan that leads to a gradual opening of sectors, but with real commitment to prevent the spread of the virus, otherwise the sectors will be closed again."