A Lebanese health official has warned Jordan against complacency of necessary health measures after the government’s decision to reopen the Kingdom's airports, highlighting that the reopening of Lebanon’s airport led to a great slippage in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to Roya TV, former Director General of the Lebanese Ministry of Health and Head of the Pandemics Prevention Committee, Walid Ammar, explained the reason for opening the airport in Lebanon without proper procedures and strict preventive measures.

The Jordanian government announced its airports would reopen to international flights on August 5, after months of closure due to the coronavirus crisis.

The National Centre for Security and Crises Management said it was preparing to open the airport with strict precautions and measures.

Ammar warned that a mistake that took place in his country was the lack of balance between hospitalisation capabilities, hospital readiness, and epidemic response.

"In Lebanon, the airport was opened in an ill-considered manner that is not proportionate with the procedures needed to confront coronavirus,” he said.

He called for a need to balance the easing of containment measures with hospitals’ capability, adding that “Lebanon sacrificed some strict measures in the face of the coronavirus in order to aid the tourism sector”.

"The situation is serious, but there is a possibility to return control, if proper decisions are taken,” said Ammar.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health announced that the number of COVID-19 infections has reached 224, 218 of which are local, and six among the arrivals.

For the first time since the first case of coronavirus in Lebanon on February 21, the daily count exceeded 200, which is a serious threat to the country’s stability.