In Jounieh, in the north of Beirut, three young men were busy today, Saturday, in the service of delivering roses to mothers on their flying plane, to avoid any confusion as the country declared a state of health emergency in the face of the emerging Corona virus.
Like the Arab countries, Lebanon celebrates Mother's Day on March 21 of every year. It often has a large symbolism, and is an occasion for businesses to prepare for, especially the flower shop. However, the celebration of this year has yet another taste, with a large number of Lebanese remaining in their homes, and the closure of institutions as part of the preventive measures announced by the government a few days ago to confront the Covid-19 virus.
At the bottom of a building in Jounieh, Christopher Ibrahim, 18, coordinates on WhatsApp with a girl who wanted to surprise her mother and ask her to prepare to go out onto the balcony. After hanging a red rose in a drone with a camera, it raises it gradually, along with the exit of the mother, surrounded by her children, to receive her gift.
From building to building, Christopher moved with his friends, wearing masks to distribute carefully-colored roses, while the amazement of the mothers who went out to their porchs was evident. Some of them could not hold their tears, others waved flowers, and sent kisses through the air before hugging their family members gratefully.
Christopher, a student in engineering and working as a wedding photographer on the pilot plane, told AFP: "I had the idea of flying roses, that is, providing roses to mothers by way of roses, since today is their holiday and all shops are closed."
He added, "I thought about how the children can delight their mothers in a safe way to the fullest extent without friction with anyone, and I found that the delivery service via the drone is the best considering that the rose will be provided on the balcony, and the mother will stay at home."
According to official statistics, as of Saturday, Lebanon had recorded at least 206 infections with the emerging coronavirus, four of whom died. On Sunday, the government asked citizens to stay in their homes for two weeks as part of a "health emergency" to limit the spread of the virus, which included the closure of Beirut airport and land and sea borders since the middle of the week.
Christopher and his friends offered the service of delivering roses in exchange for a financial allowance, but the proceeds "will be for the Lebanese Red Cross because it is more than they need support," he said in light of the current situation, and he volunteered to transport the injured or suspected of injuries to hospitals.
And according to what Minister of Health Hamad Hassan announced, Lebanon entered the stage of spreading the virus. Officials fear that injuries will increase in the coming weeks, beyond the capacity of hospitals to contain.