80 under hospital observation for possible coronavirus exposure — Health Ministry

AMMAN — Eighty people are currently being quarantined in Al Bashir Hospital's Epidemiology Department for possible exposure to coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, at the beginning of December 2019 and has since spread to at least 23 other countries. 

Seventy-one of those in quarantine are Jordanian and Arab students who were evacuated from Wuhan on Saturday, with nine others previously admitted to the hospital, according to the Health Ministry.

The plane that transported the students from Wuhan is also being held for five days for sterilisation measures.

On Friday morning, the Chinese authorities conducted a preventative medical examination of Jordanian citizens at Wuhan Airport prior to their evacuation to Jordan. Two doctors also inspected the students on board the plane and Al Bashir Hospital received them upon their arrival.

“Given that so far, the Kingdom is not in danger of contracting the disease, we do not intend to intensify the procedures to inspect the disease any more, as that may unnecessarily paralyse the flow of tourism and trade,” Secretary General of the Ministry of Health Hikmat Abul Foul said in a statement.

The ministry has installed thermal scanners at all air and sea border points around the Kingdom and is placing anyone with possible exposure to the virus under a 14-day quarantine. Abul Foul also noted that the special thermal slides requested from China arrived on Sunday.

“The slides for coronavirus detection will enable the ministry to determine the needed duration of the preventive quarantine for suspected cases, which will range from 2-10 days instead of keeping them for a full two weeks and hindering their everyday activities,” he concluded.