Jordan: Coronavirus Cases Spike Again

Arab World

December 22nd, 7:34am

Amman- Asharq Al-Awsat

Jordanian police personnel guard at a checkpoint during the second day of a nationwide curfew, imposed for two days, amid fears of a rising number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in downtown Amman, Jordan October 17, 2020. Reuters/Muhammad Hamed

Jordan has recorded 36 deaths and 2,499 new COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total number of cases since the beginning of the crisis to 277,448. The death toll has risen to 3,604. Meanwhile, 12.36 percent of PCR tests have come back positive. Jordan saw a remarkable fall in daily cases, last week, and positive tests dropped by 10 percent. While Friday witnessed the lowest tally, Monday recorded an increase. Earlier, the government affirmed that some restrictions, including Friday lockdowns and extended curfew hours remain in place. Moreover, schools and universities are to remain closed until the end of the year. While some parents demand resuming classes, the government showed reluctance to take this decision despite the progress in the past two weeks and the decrease of deaths and positive cases. Health officials in the country stated that restrictions are likely to be eased at the beginning of the new year, only if cases remain low. Furthermore, in light of the new coronavirus strain in the UK, Jordan has decided to suspend all direct and indirect (transit) passenger flights from the country starting Monday until January 3, 2021.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2696976/jordan-coronavirus-cases-spike-again