38 COVID-19 cases, including 7 local infections, recorded Saturday

AMMAN — The Kingdom recorded 38 new coronavirus cases on Saturday — seven locally transmitted cases and 31 cases from outside the Kingdom — bringing Jordan's total caseload to 953, according to a press briefing issued by the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Health.

The new cases included six contacts of two COVID-19 positive individuals in Amman, as well as case in Jerash Governorate that is currently under investigation, the briefing said.

Saturday’s cases also included four non-Jordanian truck drivers who had entered Jordan through the Omari border crossing, the briefing added.

The government said that 27 of the new cases are Jordanians who had come from abroad and have been in quarantine hotels, 19 of whom had come from Egypt, six from Kuwait, one from the UAE and one from Oman.

According to the briefing, Jordan also saw seven recoveries on Saturday, five of whom were discharged from Prince Hamzah Hospital and two who were discharged from Queen Alia Military Hospital.

A total of 9,724 coronavirus tests were conducted on Saturday, marking the highest number of daily tests recorded in the Kingdom to date, with the total number of tests conducted in Jordan reaching 266,873, the government announced.

Oversight authorities continue to intensify their inspection campaigns in commercial, industrial, tourist and service establishments to ascertain compliance with safety and preventive measures and to register violations that could lead to the closure of non-compliant establishments, the statement said.

In the briefing, the government asserted that establishments must compel their employees and visitors to wear masks and maintain physical distancing to preserve the safety of everyone.

Also on Saturday, the government began the repatriation of Jordanians from Saudi Arabia, with 150 Jordanians arriving through the Omari border crossing, the briefing announced.

The Kingdom recorded 27 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, four of which were locally transmitted, and 25 cases on Friday, two of which were locally transmitted.