Jordanian authorities quarantined multiple villages and refugee camps on Thursday as officials warned that a surge in Covid-19 cases risks pushing the kingdom’s health system near the brink of collapse.
In the wake of a coronavirus rise that saw Jordan register a record 1,776 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, authorities sealed off areas home to large outbreaks, including the Baqaa Palestinian refugee camp near Amman, a quarter of the northern city of Zarqa, and the village of Qasr near Karak in the south, for seven-day quarantines.
An additional 1276 cases were recorded on Thursday.
Outgoing prime minister Omar Razzaz and health officials warned on Thursday that the kingdom may be forced to impose more closures or a full lockdown should the number of cases continue to surge.
Jordan recorded eight deaths between late Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, pushing its Covid death toll to 69, the majority of which, 40, were recorded over the past two weeks.
In multiple interviews on local radio and television, Jordan government spokesman and minister of media Amjad Adaileh warned the coronavirus situation in the country had reached a “very dangerous” level.
Should Jordan pass 3,000 coronavirus patients requiring hospitalisation, Mr Adaileh warned that the country will enter the “danger zone” and face a potential collapse of its health system.
Even with the recent addition of a 300-bed emergency field hospital in the Dead Sea, Jordan’s health system has just 16,000 hospital beds, roughly 1.5 hospital beds per 1,000 residents – below the global average of 22.
The total includes 2,500 ICU beds for the 10 million-plus population.
Official health sources say the current testing regime can handle a maximum of around 15,000 to 16,000 tests per day but, with new daily cases over 1,000, the country requires 30,000-50,000 tests per day.
A once-extensive and rapid contact tracing system is now struggling to track down available tests for those who have mixed with confirmed Covid-19 patients.
Health sources also warn of a shortage of cardiologists in government hospitals and an uneven distribution of respirators among the country’s hospitals, potentially complicating treatment for sudden severe cases.
Meanwhile, medical labs in Amman on Thursday witnessed long queues of dozens, and in some cases, hundreds of citizens waiting to take a Covid test.
Health staff say they believe the sudden demand is due to increased mixing with known cases such as relatives and co-workers, as well as a government decision ending enforced isolation at hotels and allowing citizens to self-isolate at home instead.
Yet the government also continues to struggle to strike a balance to keep the floundering economy afloat.
Even as cases and deaths surged to record highs, authorities reopened on Thursday restaurants, cafes, mosques and churches after a two-week closure under new regulations.
As part of the enhanced guidelines, staff at restaurants, mosques and churches are required to sign legal guarantees holding them personally liable for enforcing health regulations. Restaurants must now leave a two-metre distance between tables and maintain below 50 per cent capacity.
Plain clothes monitors will be dispatched to mosques to ensure health guidelines are abided by, the Awqaf Ministry, which oversees Islamic affairs, announced.
An additional emergency law came into effect on Thursday raising fines for those who violate Covid-19 regulations to JD3,000 with jail time of up to a year.
Meanwhile, citizens and travellers arriving at Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport complain of excessive waiting times, confusion and “chaos” as they line up for on-site Covid-19 test results and transportation, forcing travellers to wait up to eight hours before they can enter the country.
“They are holding people, families and young children in gates and rooms without access to bathrooms, water or other necessities,” says Abu Omar, 56, whose teenage son spent nine hours waiting to enter the country last week after arriving on a flight from Istanbul. “It’s chaos.”
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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Mobile phone packages comparison
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
SCORES
Multiply Titans 81-2 in 12.1 overs
(Tony de Zorzi, 34)
bt Auckland Aces 80 all out in 16 overs
(Shawn von Borg 4-15, Alfred Mothoa 2-11, Tshepo Moreki 2-16).
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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