Lebanon was on edge even before last week’s horrific explosions in Beirut’s port. The country recently returned to lockdown following a spike in coronavirus cases. Lebanon had registered just under 5,700 cases and 70 deaths as of this writing, but has been trending in the wrong direction since early July; it registered eight deaths in a single 24-hour span last week, roughly 14% of its total Covid-casualties to that date. More concerning for the average citizen has been the accelerating effect of the pandemic on the country’s spiraling financial situation (a worry that other emerging markets can relate to).