Jordan records no new cases for 5th day running, one infection detected at border

AMMAN — No new coronavirus cases were recorded insidethe Kingdom on Saturday, while one Jordanian truck driver tested positive for the virus at the borders, bringing the total caseload in the Kingdom to 460.

According to a press statement issued by the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Health, a 73-year-old COVID-19 patient who was receiving treatment at Prince Hamzah Hospital and was suffering from previous chronic illness passed away, bringing the coronavirus death toll in the Kingdom to nine.

Three patients recovered and 3,207 COVID-19 tests were conducted during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests carried out since the crisis began to 82,092, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Director of the Civil Defence Department (CDD) Brig. Gen. Anwar Tarawneh told Petra on Saturday that no infections with the novel coronavirus have been recorded among personnel of the various units of the CDD, although some personnel were placed under a 14-day quarantine as a precautionary measure.

On Friday, no coronavirus infections were detected within Jordan, while six truck drivers tested positive at the borders, according to Petra.

None of the contacts of a truck driver in Irbid who is a COVID-19 patient tested positive for the virus on Friday.

Regarding information circulated on the media about an invention by the Jordanian Society for Genetic Engineers (JSGE) linked to the COVID-19 PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test, the Ministry of Health said that the aforementioned "achievement", which “has not yet proven to be reliable”, pertains to one of the three component parts of the coronavirus test.

The ministry said that it had “responded positively” to the JSGE's request to test the efficiency of a locally developed alternative tool for one of the components of the COVID-19 PCR tests.

The ministry added that it allowed the JSGE to test their samples, provided that the results are evaluated with experts from the Ministry of Health and neutral experts, noting that the JSGE has tested only 10 samples and that the results are yet to be submitted to the ministry for approval.

The JSGE has not submitted any official request to the Ministry of Health or the Jordan Food and Drug Administration to approve what it developed, the ministry added.

The ministry reaffirmed its “openness” to all initiatives that could contribute to enhancing capabilities for facing the pandemic, after proving the safety and reliability of such initiatives and following their approval by official health authorities.

Regarding the return of the first batch of Jordanians abroad, the statement indicated that the process of sending the serial numbers to be used for airline reservations and for paying returnees’ accommodation costs is “still ongoing”.

The crisis cell has responded to cases in which serial numbers did not arrive due to errors in entering cell phone numbers or e-mail addresses, and dealt with them via contact with the returnees’ families to correct their data and complete travel and accommodation reservations.

The statement said that the government work sustainability committee is still assessing the possibility of extending the working hours of restaurants and pastry shops authorised to provide delivery services until after 7pm, in light of the timing of orders during Ramadan.

On Sunday, private vehicles carrying odd-numbered licence plates are allowed to operate within governorates where curfew instructions have not been eased within the specified times and according to the instructions of the defence orders, according to the statement.

It added that private vehicles with both odd and even licence plate numbers will be allowed to move on Sunday in the governorates and regions where curfew instructions have been relaxed within the specified times and according to the instructions of the defence orders.

The statement also pointed out that, regarding public transport vehicles, including taxis, large and medium-sized transport buses and vehicles ordered through smart applications, only those with odd-numbered licence plates are allowed to operate in all governorates on Sunday.

This includes governorates where curfew instructions have been amended, as the odd-even system applies to public transport vehicles in all governorates.