43 Jordanians quarantined at new facility — ministry

AMMAN — Health Ministry officials on Saturday said that they have referred all Jordanian nationals returning from regions where the novel coronavirus has spread to a hotel that the government has rented for quarantine purposes.

"We have referred 43 Jordanians in the past few days to a hotel that the government designated for people returning from countries where the coronavirus had spread," Secretary General of the Ministry of Health Adnan Ishaq told The Jordan Times.

According to the ministry official, these countries include Korea, China, Iran and Italy.  

"All the people who are currently at the hotel are healthy, and they must remain there for 14 days until we are certain that they are not infected with the coronavirus," Ishaq said.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz directed the team tasked with following up on the new coronavirus to secure a “new, decent” quarantine location that meets the health standards for dealing with suspected infections.

In remarks to the press following a meeting with ministers and representatives of government agencies that are members of the team, Razzaz noted that social media outlets had published items on quarantine circumstances that are "not satisfactory", the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He also warned against spreading rumours without verifying their sources to prevent panic and fear, expressing hopes that citizens will check information with the Ministry of the Health.

The prime minister noted that the Health Ministry will issue daily updates related to the coronavirus in a “transparent way”, highlighting the importance of partnership and cooperation among all stakeholders to spare Jordan from the disease, Petra said.

Ishaq added that there are "no suspected or reported cases of the virus in Jordan".

"So far, we have not registered any cases of the coronavirus in Jordan and we are exerting all our efforts and capabilities to monitor the situation at the border crossings," Ishaq added.

The ministry official also refuted claims by a woman who said in a voice clip that there are reported cases of coronavirus at the Arab Medical Centre. 

"These are dangerous rumours that come in exceptional circumstances, which could cause public chaos and anxiety," Ishaq added.

The ministry official urged the public to obtain "any information related to the coronavirus from an official source, such as the health ministry".

"The ministry is adopting a transparent measure by informing the public about the latest developments related to the coronavirus," the ministry official said.

So far, a total of 186 individuals who were quarantined for 14 days have been released from quarantine after it was confirmed that they were not infected with the coronavirus, according to a health ministry briefing on Thursday.