Jordan's Crown Prince contracts COVID; King and Queen to 'protectively' self-isolate

As Jordan lifted COVID-related curfews following decreasing infection rates in the past months, Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II tested positive for the virus, the Royal Court notified. In a statement, the authorities said that Prince Hussein displayed mild symptoms of COVID-19 but "remains in good health." Meanwhile, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania tested negative for the virus and will remain under precautionary quarantine for five days. 

Prince Al Hussein will remain under isolation and medical observation, the Royal Court said in its statement. According to Arab News, the Royal family members have been inoculated with both doses against the Coronavirus. "His Highness Prince Hussein, who had received the vaccine against the Coronavirus, showed mild symptoms and is in very good health," the Royal statement asserted.

Who is Prince Hussein?

Prince Hussein is the first-in-line to ascend his father's throne. A member of the Hashemite dynasty, Prince Hussein is the 42nd descendant of Prophet Muhammad. Recently, he has been on the side of his father, King Abdullah, in almost all public appearances and delegation meetings with local and foreign dignitaries, Al Jazeera reported. The 27-year-old Prince is also the first lieutenant in the Jordanian armed forces. In 2019, Hussein became the youngest person to chair a UN Security Council session at the age of 20. He made his global debut in 2020 at the United Nations General Assembly.

Jordan revokes COVID-related curfews

Earlier in the month of August, Jordan authorities abolished partial curfews ending a year-and-a-half-long COVID-19 lockdown in the country. Citing the epidemiological improvement, the Jordanian government also reopened the majority of work sectors with full capacity.

On the COVID-19 infection front, Jordan has reported 1,042 fresh cases on September 28, said a bulletin released by the Ministry of Health. The fresh cases pushed the weekly average to 899 cases and total cases to 8.22 lakhs. On the same day, Jordan recorded six COVID-related deaths taking the total death tally to 10,703.

On the vaccination front, the Kingdom has been able to completely vaccinate at least 32.5 lakh citizens which amount to at least 32,35,830 people. Additionally, another 36% has successfully been inoculated with at least one dose.

Image: AP/ PIXABAY (representative)