The World Bank approved a $20 million (Dh73.4m) project to help Jordan deal with the health effects of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Covid-19 Emergency Response project, part of a $6 billion global rapid response programme approved by the lender’s directors earlier this month, will support the Ministry of Health’s efforts in detecting and preventing the spread of the pandemic, as well as strengthening public health preparedness, according to a statement.
“Like its neighbours, Jordan is affected by a pandemic whose impacts expand beyond the health sector and cause an economic slowdown and weaker growth prospects,” Saroj Kumar Jha, a regional director for the World Bank, said.
“The Government of Jordan has taken strong measures to contain and mitigate the Covid-19 outbreak. Supporting the Ministry of Health’s ability to face this health crisis is crucial to prevent a setback in the significant improvements in health outcomes Jordan has achieved over the past two decades.”
The World Bank's project will provide support to enhance case detection, testing, recording and reporting, as well as contact tracing, risk assessment and clinical care management, the statement said. It was prepared with the World Health Organisation and will be "updated periodically to identify financial requirements for several outbreak scenarios", according to the statement.
Thus far, Jordan has reported 449 cases of Covid-19 and eight deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking its spread. It was one of the first countries in the region “to take early and strict measures to contain and mitigate the spread of Covid-19,” according to the country’s Minister of Planning and International Co-operation, Dr Wissam Rabadi.
Yet the country is still likely to suffer an economic blow as a result of the measures put in place to contain the spread of the virus, particularly due to a loss of tourism revenue.
The International Monetary Fund earlier this month forecast Jordan’s GDP will decline 3.7 per cent in 2020, after growing 2 per cent last year.
London-based Capital Economics said on Tuesday that a new $1.3bn loan package from the IMF will “help to prevent large strains in the country’s weak balance sheet” but predicted a much steeper GDP decline of 6.5 per cent for the kingdom this year, given the likely hit to tourism.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Not Dark Yet
Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer
Four stars
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
