Health Ministry refutes claims of coronavirus case in Karak

AMMAN — The Ministry of Health on Monday refuted claims that the coronavirus has reached Jordan after rumours circulated that a Chinese national in Karak was infected with the virus, declaring the individual “clear of any infection”. 

Ministry Spokesperson Adnan Ishaqat told The Jordan Times over the phone that the Chinese national works for a Chinese company in Karak’s oil shale mine and was transferred to Al Bashir Hospital after suspicion that he was infected with the deadly virus.

“The 18-year-old showed no sign of infection, but we learned that he had passed through Wuhan, the city from which the virus first spread, on his way here, so we decided to double check that he was clear. It was all a preventive measure,” Ishaqat said.

The worker, he added, will be kept in quarantine for a period of 14 days despite not being infected, as that is the protocol for dealing with a coronavirus infection, he added.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Daifallah Fayez said in a statement to Radio Al Balad that the specialised team landed in China to check on the some 100 Jordanian nationals residing in the city.

"The situation is sensitive and precautionary measures are being taken by China. We fully appreciate their efforts in preserving the health of their people and expatriate communities. We are aware that the city has been isolated, and no cases of infection have been recorded at the university where our students are,” he said.

Minister of Health Saad Jaber said in a statement that, upon His Majesty King Abdullah’s Royal directives to evacuate Jordanians in China via a private plane, the ministry prepared a medical team to accompany the staff heading to China to ensure the safety of the Kingdom’s citizens.

Jaber added that medical teams will receive the Jordanians “the moment they arrive in the Kingdom” and accompany them to the Epidemic Disease Department of Al Bashir Hospital, where they will be monitored for two weeks.

The ministry has equipped the hospital with 100 beds and will provide an additional 100 if necessary to receive, transfer and follow up on any suspected case of the virus.

“The department is isolated from the main body of the hospital so that if, God forbid, we were to receive a case, it could be dealt with individually, without the risk of spreading the virus throughout the hospital,” Ishaqat told The Jordan Times.

The ministry has also said that it has put in place preventive and remedial measures to examine individuals arriving to the Kingdom via all land, sea and air crossings through thermal scanners that can detect high body temperatures.