Amman doctor caught working while infected with coronavirus

Amman’s governor says the unidentified doctor will be moved to a hospital to quarantine

Health officials announced last month that a third wave of the coronavirus has hit the kingdom of 10 million people. Reuters

A doctor in Jordan who continued to treat patients after testing positive for the coronavirus will be referred to prosecutors, municipal authorities in the country said.

Health authorities have been imploring the public to practise social distancing and wear masks to curb a third wave of the pandemic.

“The doctor was caught inside his clinic while he was infected with the coronavirus,” Amman Governor Yasser Al Adwan told state television.

Mr Al Adwan said the doctor, who was not identified, had been moved to a Covid-19 hospital and would be kept in isolation.

“He will be referred to the prosecutor general after his quarantine is over,” Mr Al Adwan said.

Adherence to coronavirus rules lapsed this summer when the authorities lifted lockdowns and removed most restrictions on gatherings and doing business, citing a need to revive the economy.

But last month, health officials said a third wave of cases had hit the kingdom of 10 million people.

Infections have risen 30 per cent, week on week. The rate of increase has since declined, but the officials say the third wave has not yet peaked.

Covid-19 deaths in Jordan have reached a seven-day average of 36, with about 4,000 new cases daily, data from Johns Hopkins University showed.

Thirty-nine people died of Covid-19 in Jordan in the past 24 hours, bringing the country's pandemic death toll to 12,230.

Last week, the government reimposed PCR testing requirements on anyone entering the kingdom.

State media said on Saturday that Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh was self-isolating after one of his children tested positive for the virus.

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