4 COVID-19 cases, 1 recovery confirmed on Thursday

AMMAN — Four new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the Kingdom on Thursday, increasing Jordan’s caseload to 586, Health Minister Saad Jaber said during a press briefing from the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management.

Two of the new patients contracted the virus from the truck driver who tested positive in Mafraq’s Al Khanasri area over a week ago, the minister said, noting that 70 people are known to have come into contact with the driver so far.

The infections reported on Thursday also included a new arrival from the UK who has been quarantined at the Dead Sea. Eleven people have tested positive for the virus among recently returned Jordanians, he said.

A truck driver of Arab nationality also tested positive for COVID-19 at one of the Kingdom’s border crossings and was not permitted to enter Jordan according to protocol.

The minister noted that one patient has recovered and was discharged from Prince Hamzah Hospital, leaving 133 patients still receiving treatment in hospitals.

A total of 131,985 coronavirus tests have been conducted in the Kingdom since the onset of the crisis, in addition to 5,000 tests conducted on Thursday, Jaber announced.

Also speaking at the briefing, Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh reiterated that a 24-hour comprehensive curfew will be observed in the Kingdom on Friday. The decision also applies to permit holders, but excludes medical personnel in the public and private sectors, epidemiological investigation teams and a “very limited number” of employees and officials responsible for vital work.

The minister also announced that the second phase of flights to repatriate Jordanian students abroad and citizens stranded in coronavirus-hit countries will begin on Friday, noting that during this second phase, 16 flights will transport around 3,000 Jordanians back to the Kingdom.

Quarantine sites have been prepared at hotels in Amman to isolate all returnees for 17 days as a precautionary measure, he said, adding that the timing for the implementation of the third phase will be announced in the upcoming days.

Adaileh also announced that, on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the Kingdom’s Independence Day, which falls on next Monday, May 25, the government has launched the “our flag is high” national campaign, he said.

The campaign, organised by the Ministry of Culture, falls within the Kingdom’s celebration of the national holiday during the coronavirus crisis, Adaileh noted. Citizens to take part in the campaign by raising the Jordanian flag at their homes and other suitable places.

Other celebration activities that meet public health and safety regulations will be announced later, he added.

Also during the briefing, Adel Sharkas, deputy governor of the Central Bank of Jordan, announced that banks will postpone individuals’ due loan instalments for May on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr. Banks will not charge any commission or delay interest as a result of this procedure.

In an effort to alleviate the financial burdens of small- to medium-size enterprises and individuals amid the coronavirus crisis, banks have cut interests by 1.5 per cent as of May, he said, noting that at least 270,000 borrowers have benefitted from this decision.