Youth sector of LCP: die hungry or die sick

It became clear that home quarantine though as simple as it might seem is the best choice to limit the outbreak/spread of the virus, and that the precautionary measures are necessary, together with the relevant testing when feeling the COVID-19 symptoms.
However, in our daily reality in Lebanon, all of what have been mentioned is a luxury that the vast majority of the Lebanese people do not enjoy, starting from the daily contractors, low-waged workers, precarious workers, foreign workers and all those who do not have healthcare benefits to including youth and students. All of them do not afford the cost of staying home for even a single day as they’re threatened to face hunger. Thus we cannot expect from people to stay home if a financial reimbursement was not provided for them as they do not perform their daily work. The government didn’t make any move for that neither did the official syndicates and labor unions.
On the contrary some employers have taken this chance to downsize their employees’ paychecks. In addition to the crisis that is attacking the educational sector, there is not a single attempt to resume classes in a “modern” way that has succeeded up until now. This means delaying the educational year or maybe canceling it, thus lots of student plans will have to change.
Being in this situation, we hold the government accountable to assume its responsibility of limiting the spread of corona virus and reimbursing people in living expenses starting form paid leaves, which is a basic right, to free healthcare for all. We assert on the other hand the importance of home quarantine and following the necessary precautionary measures.

Youth and Students sector
Lebanese Communist Party
March 12, 2020