AMMAN — One death related to the coronavirus and 40 cases, including 30 local infections, were recorded in the Kingdom on Wednesday, increasing the caseload to 1,756, according to Health Minister Saad Jaber.

The deceased had recently arrived to Jordan from an Arab country and had been in critical condition suffering from various health conditions, Jaber said during a press briefing at the Prime 

Ministry.

The local infections included 24 cases from Amman, of which 22 contracted the virus while socialising, while the sources of the other two  infections are under investigation.

Also among the domestic cases are two people from Zarqa, who contracted the virus from COVID-19 positive persons, and four in Irbid who came into contact with individuals infected with the virus, the minister noted. 

The cases from abroad included nine infections recorded in Dead Sea quarantine hotels — seven returning from Saudi Arabia, one from the US and one from Egypt.

The 10th case from abroad is for a truck driver who tested positive at the Jaber border crossing, the minister said.

Also on Wednesday, 11 COVID-19 patients left hospitals, increasing the number of recovered people to 1,372, leaving 381 still receiving treatment — 242 at Prince Hamzah Hospital, 126 at Dead Sea quarantine sites and 13 in Queen Alia Military Hospital, according to Jaber. 

The minister also said that 170 epidemiological investigation teams conducted 14,085 random tests nationwide on Wednesday, which is a record number for a single day, increasing the total number of tests administered since the outbreak of the pandemic in the Kingdom to 777,222. 

Also speaking at the press briefing, Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said that the government had decided to impose a comprehensive curfew in Amman and Zarqa starting at 11pm on Thursday until 11pm on Friday due to the increasing number of infections in the two governorates. 

Holders of e-permits are not allowed to move during the comprehensive curfew in Amman and Zarqa, the media minister said.

E-permits will be issued by the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management for a limited number of employees in vital sectors, including media outlets, he added.

Health personnel are exempted from the curfew in Amman and Zarqa, the minister said, adding that passengers and accompanying people will be allowed to head to Queen Alia International Airport provide that they present their valid tickets. 

By the end of the comprehensive curfew at 11pm on Friday in Amman and Zarqa, the current curfew will be resumed till 6am Saturday, where e-permit holders are allowed movement during the curfew hours, he added.

The government has decided to impose the comprehensive curfew to limit socialising and enable epidemiological teams to detect possible infections in virus hotspots, Adaileh said.