Gov't says no plans yet to shut down schools, universities

AMMAN — The government on Thursday said that there are no plans yet to shut down schools and universities as a precautionary measure, stressing that there is so far only one coronavirus case registered in the Kingdom.

“We have only one reported case so far and we have sent health teams to hospitals to make sure that no one is infected with the coronavirus,” Health Minister Saad Jaber told reporters during a press conference.

"There are no plans to shut down schools. If we close down schools and universities, we will cause panic among the public," Jaber said.

“We are in a state of an emergency and we are following up on the situation very closely and carefully and, if we feel there is a need to shut down educational institutes, we will do that with no hesitation,” Jaber added.

Asked whether there are unannounced or "hidden" coronavirus cases in Jordan, the minister said: "With today's technologies, it is really hard to hide cases or control people working in the medical field to remain silent about such cases."

Jaber said that the Jordanian citizen who was infected with the coronavirus is expected to leave the hospital on Friday.

Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said that: If a decision is taken in the near future to close schools, “then students will be able to access the curricula via certain links or TV stations that were designated by the government for this purpose free of charge”.

Adaileh added that the government will also adopt several steps to “boost the economy and minimise the losses on the tourism and other sectors that were affected by the coronavirus”.

The government spokesperson also said that “the government is constantly studying the travel procedures, and “monitoring the situation in other countries and take travel ban decisions accordingly”.

Turning to refugees in Jordan, Jaber said that “health ministry teams are regularly visiting the refugee camps in coordination with World Health Organisation officials to check on the refugees’ health conditions”.   

“We have a special plan and we provided them with the necessary medical equipment in case something happens there,” he added.

Adaileh urged the public to refrain from “going to gatherings that include many people such as weddings and funerals and to obtain the necessary information about the latest development through official channels”.