Jordan: Covid-19 deaths hit record as outbreak forces foreign ministry to close

The country will go into another four-day lockdown after next week's election

General view showing empty streets, during the nationwide curfew for two days, amid fears of a rising number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Amman, Jordan October 16, 2020. Reuters

Deaths in Jordan from Covid-19 hit numbers not reported since the pandemic began, and the government said the foreign ministry was closed by a coronavirus outbreak.

On Wednesday, 62 people died – the highest number for 24 hours in the past eight months.

The health ministry also reported 4,658 more confirmed cases in the 24 hours to Wednesday night – from 4,833 on Tuesday and a record 5,877 on Sunday – taking the cumulative total to 91,234 cases.

Coronavirus around the world - in pictures

A laboratory worker looks at PCR tests at the CHU de Liege hospital in Liege, Belgium. Reuters

A medical staff holds a testing tube in a car testing station in Erkheim, southern Germany. AFP

Medical staff take care of a patient infected with the Covid-19 disease upon his arrival from Saint-Etienne at Angers airport in Marce, western France. AFP

A Personal Protective Equipment is on display at Dow booth at the third China International Import Expo in Shanghai, China. Reuters

A notice about the High Covid Alert Level in London is seen on a cafe window in the Soho district in London, UK. Bloomberg

Algerian secondary level students attend the first day of school in the Algerian capital Algiers. AFP

A seller displays face masks and face shields for customers in front of his shop in downtown Amman, Jordan. Reuters

A man disinfects a ball before a closed-door Copa Sudamericana second round football match between Venezuela's Caracas and Brazil's Vasco da Gama at the Olympic Stadium in Caracas. AFP

A bicycle with a projection system projects photos on a wall in celebration of 25 years of Sao Paulo Fashion Week in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil. Getty Images

Passengers on the Mersey Ferry take a selfie photo in Liverpool, England. Getty Images

People look at robots distributing flowers during a flower fair in Medellin, Colombia. EPA

A woman listens to speakers outside of Revolution Hall before marching in Portland, Oregon. AP Photo

On Thursday, the foreign ministry announced that it would be closed to visitors to prevent the spread of the virus.

Ministry representative Dhaifallah Ali Al Fayez said that a number of staff members tested positive during periodic checks and that the buildings would be sterilised while staff isolate.

While the building is closed to visitors, staff levels will be reduced to a minimum.

Jordan initially recorded low figures at the start of the pandemic, but a sharp rise was reported in the last month and it now has the highest per capita infection and death rates of Arab states.

The government, which said there are 1,617 Covid-19 patients being treated in hospitals, has agreed to use 1,000 beds from the country's 30 private hospitals to ease pressure on its public health system.

Health Minister Nazir Obeidat said Jordan has not yet reached its peak in daily cases and blamed the spread on an unwillingness to follow social distancing and mask rules.

Medics also link the recent outbreak to travellers coming in from neighbouring Syria, coupled with mismanagement in the public health sector.

The government this week extended a night curfew and imposed financial penalties on those not wearing masks in public.

The authorities will impose a four-day nationwide lockdown next Wednesday, a day after parliamentary elections, which they hope will to avoid a longer lockdown than Jordan's aid-dependent economy can ill afford

The government intended to go ahead with the election despite criticism it could aggravate the health crisis.