3 coronavirus cases, no local infections, recorded on Sunday

AMMAN — Three COVID-19 cases, among them no local infections, were recorded in the Kingdom on Sunday, increasing the caseload to 1,179, according to Health Minister Saed Jaber.

The new cases included two Jordanians who returned to the Kingdom from Saudi Arabia and have been in quarantine at designated hotels, the minister said, adding that a Jordanian truck driver, who tested positive at the Omari border crossing, was among the new cases.

Six recovered patients left Prince Hamzah Hospital, leaving 36 COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment in Prince Hamzah Hospital and Queen Alia Hospital, Jaber said.

Also on Sunday, 5,672 virus tests were conducted, bringing the cumulative number of coronavirus tests administered since the beginning of the crisis to 466,055, he added.

Announcing a new quarantine strategy, the health minister said that as of Sunday, COVID-19 positive patients are housed in a designated quarantine facility that can accommodate up to 350 persons in the Dead Sea region.

Each patient will be allocated a private room, the minister said, noting that all rooms are equipped with air conditioning, TV and wireless Internet access.

 The new measures are aimed at opening designated COVID-19 hospitals to the public, the minister said, pointing out that two intensive care units were established in Prince Hamzah Hospital, in addition to revamping the emergency and operation rooms. 

Regarding the reopening of airports, Jaber said that “the airport will be open for all, what matters is the country of departure”. 

The minister said that countries have been classified according to the number of infections, fatalities, critical cases, number of tests and the rate of “flattening the curve” — the projected number of people who will contract the virus over a span of time.

“The Kingdom's epidemiological situation is good, while in the neighbouring countries it has deteriorated, that is why we deal the situation with caution,” he added.

The possibility of airborne transmission of COVID-19 “is still uncertain”, the health minister said, stressing that closed areas that lack ventilation are susceptible to coronavirus infection, calling on the public to abide by physical distancing and wear face masks.