Lebanon’s health minister warned Monday that hospitals are reaching maximum capacity to treat Covid-19. The country has seen a spike in coronavirus-related cases and deaths in recent weeks and its medical system has been under huge pressure since the massive blast that ripped through Beirut two weeks ago. The World Health Organization on 12 August said more than half of 55 healthcare facilities evaluated by the agency were “non-functional”, three major hospitals were out of operation and another three were running at well below normal capacity. “Public and private hospitals in the capital in particular have a very limited capacity, whether in terms of beds in intensive care units or respirators,” the minister, Hamad Hassan, told a press conference. “We are on the brink, we don’t have the luxury to take our time,” he warned, urging authorities to take the “hard decision” to impose a new two-week lockdown to stem the spread of the virus. The country reported a one-day record of 456 new infections on Monday, bringing the total number of infections to 9,337, including 105 deaths since the start of the outbreak in February. A previously planned lockdown was scrapped in the wake of the explosion, which flattened neighbourhoods near the port and left thousands homeless. “In the capital, the intensive care units and the departments set up for the coronavirus in public hospitals are full,” the minister told Voice of Lebanon radio. “In most private hospitals that receive coronavirus patients, intensive care unit beds are (already) occupied” by Covid-19 patients, he added. The minister said chaos in Beirut after the blast, Lebanon’s worst peacetime disaster, made it difficult to enforce compliance with pandemic precautionary and preventive measures. “Our ability to control behaviour in the face of the virus is more limited,” the minister said. Hello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, with me Alison Rourke. Lebanon’s health minister has warned that hospitals are reaching maximum capacity to treat coronavirus patients after the deadly Beirut blast overwhelmed clinics and triggered a spike in Covid cases. “Public and private hospitals in the capital in particular have a very limited capacity, whether in terms of beds in intensive care units or respirators,” the minister, Hamad Hassan, told a press conference. “We are on the brink, we don’t have the luxury to take our time,” he warned, urging authorities to take the “hard decision” to impose a new two-week lockdown to stem the spread of the virus. In other coronavirus developments: Global cases of coronavirus are approaching 22 million, and deaths stand at nearly 780,000. President Trump has highlighted New Zealand as a country the virus as re-emerged in a “big surge”. He said “they beat it, it was front page news ... the problem is ‘big surge’ in New Zealand,” he said. On Monday NZ recorded 9 new cases, taking the Aukland outbreak – the first community transmission in the country for more than 100 days – to a total of 58 cases. Pool parties and party boats are set to be banned in Mallorca and Ibiza amid a surge of coronavirus cases. Two months are reopening to tourists, the Balearic islands will also implement the measures being rolled out across Spain, including shuttering restaurants and bars at 1am and banning smoking in public places when distancing isn’t possible. 72 workers at a desserts factory in England tested positive for Covid-19. The local council worked with management staff at the factory, which employs 1,600 people, to ensure all employees can get tested in the coming days. Malta will close its bars and night clubs once again after a surge in coronavirus cases. Coming into effect from Wednesday, the measures to ensure social distancing will also apply to sports facilities and social clubs, and mass gatherings have been restricted to 15 people. Restaurants and shops can remain open. Nigeria will resume international flights on 29 August as it eases restrictions. This will begin with Lagos and Abuja, six weeks after the country resumed domestic flights. Oman will allow the reopening of tourist and international restaurants, and gyms and swimming pools located in hotels. The changes, allowed only under certain regulations and requirements, will take effect from Tuesday.