Jordanian King Abdullah II considered Sunday that his country has succeeded in dealing with the emerging corona virus, which has become "under control" in Jordan.
"We succeeded in dealing with the Corona virus, which is today under control in Jordan, but like all countries in the world we have paid an economic price, and it is time to focus "At full speed on the economic situation."
He explained that «the Jordanians will come out stronger when compared with the countries of the region in relation to the effects of the Corona crisis».
Regarding the tourism sector, which was greatly affected by the closure process, the king stressed "the importance of tourism and its impact on the national economy, but any decision regarding openness requires deliberation and is well studied."
The king said, "Jordan will examine its experience in dealing with (international) film tourism (photography) and medical tourism before expanding to receive more tourists, in order to ensure that there are no problems associated with the spread of the virus."
Before the Covid-19 epidemic, about five million tourists visited the kingdom annually, and the revenue of the tourism sector last year exceeded five billion dollars.
Tourism contributes about 12 to 14 percent of Jordanian GDP, and the number of workers in the sector is estimated at about one hundred thousand people.
On the fifth of this month, Jordan announced its readiness to receive patients wishing to receive treatment in the Kingdom's private hospitals, for the first time in months due to the outbreak of the new Corona virus, and identified a list of 11 Arab countries in addition to Cyprus.
According to a government statement, "Individuals coming from all Arab Gulf countries, Palestine, Iraq, Libya, Algeria, Sudan, Yemen and Cyprus will be allowed at this stage."
Jordan annually received about 250,000 patients from Arab and foreign countries, while medical tourism revenues from foreign patients amounted to about one billion dinars annually (about $ 1.5 billion) before the outbreak of the new Corona virus.
To date, the Kingdom has recorded 1179 confirmed cases of the virus and ten deaths, according to official figures.