Number of coronavirus cases in Kingdom rises to 69 — Health Ministry

By JT - Mar 19,2020 - Last updated at Mar 19,2020

The Cabinet announced preventative measures on Tuesday to counter the spread of COVID-19, including suspending work for all official institutions and departments and prohibiting people from leaving their homes except in emergencies (Photo by Amjad Ghsoun)

AMMAN — The Ministry of Health announced that the number of coronavirus cases in Jordan rose to 69 on Thursday, including the recovered case.

The cases include 50 Jordanians, one of whom recovered, six French nationals, four Iraqi nationals, three British nationals, two Lebanese nationals, two Argentinian nationals and two Filipino nationals, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported.

The ministry noted that one of the cases is a person quarantined in a designated hotel.

In response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom, the government on Tuesday issued a set of new measures to counter the outbreak.

Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh announced 12 new government measures issued by the Cabinet to combat the spread of the virus, all of which were put into effect at 8am on Wednesday for a period of two weeks.

The measures include suspending work for all official institutions and departments, except for vital sectors as determined by the prime minister and according to the recommendations of the concerned minister.

People are also prohibited from leaving their homes except in emergencies.

The government suspended work for the private sector, with the exception of the health sector and other vital sectors as determined by the prime minister. Medical operations and regular medical care were also suspended, except for medical emergencies and emergency operations.

Gatherings of more than 10 people and travel between governorates are also prohibited, Adaileh announced.

Measures also include the halting of public transport and the printing of newspapers.

Pharmacies, supermarkets and grocery stores, bakeries, food and medicine supply chains and providers of water, electricity and fuel are continuing to operate. However, malls and commercial complexes are closed, with only supply centres and pharmacies remaining open.

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