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New Virus Hotbed in Jordan Raises Number of Infections

New Virus Hotbed in Jordan Raises Number of Infections
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New Virus Hotbed in Jordan Raises Number of Infections

New Virus Hotbed in Jordan Raises Number of Infections

Coronavirus infections rose in Jordan on Friday after a truck driver residing in Mafraq Governorate, east of Amman, tested positive.

The driver had not self-quarantined upon his return to the country around 14 days ago after his test results came back negative, yet he began showing symptoms on Wednesday.

The authorities this week tested people who had come into close contact with him, raising the number of infections by 24, only a day after Jordan reported no new cases for eight consecutive days.

Among those infected are the man’s family members and friends, as well as a nurse at a public hospital.

The driver has also infected people in Irbid and Ramtha cities, while another case was discovered in a student who returned from Russia last week.

Citizens held the government responsible for the new infections, accusing it of not enforcing quarantine measures on truck drivers crossing the land border into Jordan.

Health Minister Saad Jaber announced on Friday that quarantine centers are being set up on the border, where drivers would stay for 17 days, a period long enough to discover if a person is infected or not.

Activists on social media wondered how the government imposed a 17-day quarantine on students returning from abroad, while similar measures were not applied to truck drivers.

Infections among drivers were first recorded in mid-April.

News has also circulated that some 245 truck drivers haven’t been tested upon their arrival in Jordan.

Jordan has been preparing to begin lifting measures so that life would return to normal gradually through new government decisions that were announced mid-last week.

The Kingdom has recorded 508 cases since its outbreak early March, while nine elderly suffering from chronic diseases have died.

The Jordanian army, in coordination with the security services and the Queen Alia International Airport management, announced on Friday the end of the first evacuation phase of about 3,000 students from abroad.

The first phase began on Tuesday and ended early Friday.

Director of the Coronavirus Crisis Cell Operations Brigadier General Mazen El Faraya has earlier announced a plan to return about 23,000 stranded students and citizens from abroad.

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Arab World

Despite Fear and Concern, Christians in Syria are Optimistic

 A demonstration in Damascus to protest the burning of the Christmas tree in Hama (Reuters)
 A demonstration in Damascus to protest the burning of the Christmas tree in Hama (Reuters)
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Despite Fear and Concern, Christians in Syria are Optimistic

 A demonstration in Damascus to protest the burning of the Christmas tree in Hama (Reuters)
 A demonstration in Damascus to protest the burning of the Christmas tree in Hama (Reuters)

Syria’s Christians prepared on Tuesday to celebrate their first Christmas since the overthrow of Bashar Assad amid fear and concern, particularly after armed men burnt a Christmas tree.
Demonstrators, including Christians and Muslims, took to the streets in Damascus and other locations in Syria after a Christmas tree was set on fire in the city of al-Suqaylabiyah, in the countryside of the west of Hama.
In Damascus, Father Andrew Bahi expressed concern about how Christians will be treated in Syria after Assad's ouster.
“We have the right to be afraid. Over the years, the [Christian-dominated] neighborhoods of eastern Damascus have been hit by hundreds of shells and we endured in our homes, but now the atmosphere remains ambiguous. There is a conflict and contradiction between words and actions,” Bahi told dpa.
“The statements by the new leadership in Damascus are reassuring and they stressed respect for all sects and religions, but some actions and slogans are a source of concern for us, and the coming days will test that,” added Bahi.
Meanwhile, Tony Matanius, a Christian man from Bab Touma, in eastern Damascus, who works at a grocery store, said that the opposition who seized the capital “did not do anything that would offend or harm us, but everyone is cautious.”
“We did not decorate the shops and homes as we are used to, though no one stopped us, but things we have heard and seen published on some social media sites are scaring us,” he added.
Matanius is optimistic about change after enduring conflict in the country for 13 years. He said he will continue monitoring statements by the new leadership and hope "They are translated into actions, not just words.”
Rana Medani, a civil employee, believes that the injustices Syrians faced during Assad's rule harmed people of all faiths.
“Personally, I am optimistic about the new leadership. I do not care if the ruler is Muslim or Christian. I care that it is someone who wants the best for the people and serves the people,” she added.
Medani said most of her colleagues are opposed to Bashar Assad's regime, which has humiliated and starved people.
“They oppose the corruption and patronage of the former regime officials,” she said.
On Tuesday, demonstrators took to the streets in Damascus and other regions in Syria after the arson of a Christmas tree in the city of al-Suqaylabiyah.
People chanted slogans against sectarian strife that seeks to destabilize society, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
“Everyone chanted demanding the protection of Christians in Syria,” said Samer Elias, who joined the protests in Damascus on Monday evening.
A security source in Hama province, where al-Suqaylabiyah is located, told dpa that two people burnt the tree and one of them was arrested.