31 local infections, 8 cases from abroad recorded Sunday

AMMAN — Thirty-nine COVID-19 cases, including 31 local infections, were registered in the Kingdom on Sunday, increasing the caseload to 1,378, according to the government.

The local cases included 19 infections reported from Ramtha, 11 from Amman — 10 who contracted the virus after “socialising” with COVID-19 positive individuals and another person whose source of infection is under investigation — in addition to one infection 

registered in Balqa.

The eight cases from abroad are Jordanians in quarantine hotels in the Dead Sea area. They include one returnee from Kuwait, four from Saudi Arabia, two from the US and one from Canada.

Meanwhile, seven recoveries were reported on Sunday, including five recoveries from quarantine hotels in the Dead Sea area and two from Prince Hamzah Hospital.

Also on Sunday, 6,409 virus tests were conducted, bringing the cumulative number of coronavirus tests administered since the onset of the crisis to 692,760.

The statement, which classified the Kingdom's epidemiological status as “moderate-risk level”, reminded the public of Defence Order No.11 for 2020, which obligates people to wearing gloves and face masks while in public. The defence order came into force on Saturday due to the reemergence of local infections.

The Health Ministry has also renewed its call on the public to abide by precautionary measures, mainly wearing face masks and maintaining physical distancing.

The ministry also warned against practices that violate public safety, mainly gathering of more than 20 people.

It urged the citizens to use the “Sahtak” (your health) application for smartphones, which provides users with the latest information and news related to the COVID-19 disease, in addition to “Aman” (Safety) application, which alerts users if they come into contact with a person infected with the virus.

The statement also said that the isolation of Ramtha will come into force on Monday at 6am as part of containment measures.

It also added that the isolation will continue until the epidemiological status in the district improves.

Curfew hours in Ramtha will be between 8pm and 6am as of today, while other regions of the Kingdom will observe curfew hours between 12 midnight and 6am for the public and between 11pm and 6am for businesses, the statement added.

Also on Sunday, the Cabinet held a session to discuss the procedures followed at the Omari border crossing, where Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Omar Razzaz highlighted the importance of implementing all procedures necessary to curb the spread of the virus.

In light of the increasing number of local infections, Razzaz approved a recommendation by Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Sami Dawoud to allow some employees work remotely or resort to job rotation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The decision, which applies to all ministries and public departments, stipulates that quality of services to citizens should not be affected.