Arabic Press Commentaries 16 March 2020

Ad-Dustour's Faris Habashneh said that panic over coronavirus is more harmful than the virus itself, however, recklessness may result in the wide spread of the pandemic.

The writer said that he has experienced a number of situations in which citizens were not taking the issue seriously. He said that he was met with rejection when he recently visited a condolence house and abstained from shaking hands with the attendees.

 He said that the elderly among the attendees blamed him for not shaking hands with them, forcing him to familiarise them with the dangers of the coronavirus. Another situation he recalled was of a non-Jordanian citizen who asked for shisha at a restaurant while talking on the phone and said that he had arrived in the Kingdom a few days before.

The writer said that he immediately left the place without ordering any food. He also added that although the government has banned the serving of shisha in restaurants, a number of cafes have not abided by the decision. The writer noted that although panic among the public over coronavirus is understandable, caution is essential.