Arabic Press

Al Rai’s AbdulHafith Hrout said that if the world, led by its politicians, had dedicated the fortunes and efforts it is currently forced to exert to combat COVID-19 to science, health and development, peace and the end of hunger would have been a reality.

Hrout said that life is suspended due to an invisible virus, yet “humanity” still moves restrictedly between countries, as every country licks its own wounds in the absence of effective alliances and cooperation.

The writer said that Jordanians take pride in their Kingdom, as it is one of the few countries to successfully manage to control the pandemic, as if it had its antidote mainly due to the government’s efforts.

He said that although reports indicate that COVID-19 is on its way to defeat, it still reaps souls, while establishments that manufacture advanced deadly weapons stand still and major countries are held captive by the virus consumed by searching for a vaccine that could take a long time to come.

The columnist said that Jordanians must continue playing their role, whether under lockdown or while permitted to move, urging that they do not fall for panic buying when basic commodities are available in the Kingdom’s markets for long months to come, including Ramadan.

He said that people’s commitment to better behaviour during the pandemic, like cleanliness and organisation in public spaces in support of authorities’ efforts, is a gateway to more civilised behaviour than ever to continue after the pandemic, highlighting that COVID-19 calls for all people to reconsider and correct their behaviour.

Ad-Dustour's Faris Habashneh said that panic over coronavirus is more harmful than the virus itself, however, recklessness may result in the wide spread of the pandemic.

The writer said that he has experienced a number of situations in which citizens were not taking the issue seriously. He said that he was met with rejection when he recently visited a condolence house and abstained from shaking hands with the attendees.

 He said that the elderly among the attendees blamed him for not shaking hands with them, forcing him to familiarise them with the dangers of the coronavirus. Another situation he recalled was of a non-Jordanian citizen who asked for shisha at a restaurant while talking on the phone and said that he had arrived in the Kingdom a few days before.

The writer said that he immediately left the place without ordering any food. He also added that although the government has banned the serving of shisha in restaurants, a number of cafes have not abided by the decision. The writer noted that although panic among the public over coronavirus is understandable, caution is essential.

Al Ghad’s Fahd Khitan said that the announcement of new cases of COVID-19 in Jordan marked a new phase of the Kingdom’s confrontation with the novel coronavirus, which was described by Health Minister Saad Jaber as “the phase of containment”.

Khitan said that although the cases have been from external sources, as most of them are tourists or new arrivals, Jordanians should expect to record more cases, because the infected persons have contacted Jordanians. The writer said that early measures taken by the government contributed to hindering the arrival of the virus to Jordan, but they did not completely prevent the entry of asymptomatic cases.

Perhaps COVID-19 testing measures at airports and border-crossings were lacking, the columnist noted. He said that the second package of measures announced by the government on Saturday is more rigorous, and has put Jordan in a two-week isolation state that will test Jordan’s ability and chances to beat the pandemic.

Khitan said that Jordan’s success in beating the virus relies greatly on the speed of detecting the contacted cases, and treating them before they infect others. He said that detecting the cases requires providing the necessary medical equipment to perform tests, abiding by strict measures in public spaces, reducing activity in markets and expanding the flexible work bylaw.

He said that the crisis cell works round-the-clock, and since the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management took over the operation, Jordan has witnessed qualitative progress in terms of performance, and high harmony between government apparatuses. He said that this lead to more confident support from citizens and sectors towards the government’s decisions.