Amman: A Jordanian court on Sunday sentenced to three years in jail the director of a state hospital over the deaths of 10 patients at the facility which treated coronavirus patients.
Abdel Razak al-Khashman and four aides were convicted of "causing the deaths" at the Salt state hospital where the patients died after it ran out of oxygen. The verdict can be appealed within 10 days, an AFP correspondent at the court said.
The deaths in March sparked public anger in Jordan and led to the resignation of health minister Nazir Obeidat. After the tragedy King Abdullah II visited the state hospital where hundreds of people rallied outside to vent their wrath.
Meanwhile, ten Covid-19 cases have been detected among crew members and passengers on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship returning to New Orleans on Sunday with thousands on board, a US health authority said.
"The Norwegian Breakaway departed from New Orleans on Nov. 28 and stopped in Belize, Honduras and Mexico on its voyage," the Louisiana Department of Health tweeted Saturday. "There are more than 3,200 individuals onboard." The health department said every individual aboard would be tested for Covid prior to disembarking.
"Those who test positive for Covid-19 will either (1) travel by personal vehicle directly to their personal residence or (2) self-isolate according to current (US Centers for Disease Control) guidelines in accommodations provided by NCL," the health department tweeted.
The global cruise industry has taken a severe hit during the pandemic. In February 2020, when little was known about the new coronavirus, a cruise ship named "Diamond Princess" was quarantined off Japan.
More than 700 people on board tested positive for Covid-19 and 13 died, with Japanese authorities heavily criticised for insisting passengers and crew stay on the boat, where the virus continued to spread.
Cruise operations in the US were suspended in March 2020 when the CDC issued a "no sail order" to prevent the spread of Covid. Some cruise ships resumed operations in Europe and elsewhere last year, but the ban remained in place in the United States.
After a year of crippling losses, cruise industry giants resumed trips from the US in May this year when the CDC gave the green light to allow trips with passengers and crew who are vaccinated.
Canada lifted its ban on cruise ships in its waters last month.In a related development, the UK government has announced that those travelling into the country will need to show a negative coronavirus test pre-departure as it reintroduces Covid-19 restrictions due to the Omicron variant. From 0400 GMT on Tuesday, anyone travelling to the UK will have to show evidence of a negative lateral flow or PCR test taken within the last 48 hours before boarding a flight, the health ministry said late Saturday.
This will apply to travellers aged over 12 from any country. Currently travellers have to take a PCR test within two days of arrival. The reintroduction of compulsory pre-departure testing prompted an angry response from the travel industry.
The Business Travel Association said that the measure would be a "hammer blow", while the Airport Operators Association said that "pre-departure tests are a devastating blow, as they deter people from travelling".
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News that he knew the new measure was a "burden for the travel industry" but stressed the UK needed to act. "We’ve got to take the measures targeted forensically to stop the new variant seeding in this country to create a bigger problem."
The government has vowed it "will take further decisive action if necessary to contain the virus and new variant". Meantime, Denmark’s health authorities said on Sunday the country had seen a "concerning" jump to 183 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
The number represented a tripling of confirmed cases in 48 hours, from 18 confirmed and 42 suspected cases on Friday, according to data from the SSI public health institute. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) had previously tallied just 182 cases across all of the European Union, plus Norway and Iceland.
Denmark is one of Europe’s most advanced countries in sequencing of coronavirus variants. It often detects more cases more quickly than its neighbours -- which does not necessarily indicate higher rates of infection.
SSI chief said the increase in Omicron cases was nevertheless "concerning", adding that "there are now chains of infection where the variant is found in people who have not travelled abroad or been in contact with travellers". Also on Sunday, the ECDC said Omicron had been reported in 17 countries in its region.
