AMMAN (Reuters) – Jordan reported 109 new deaths from COVID-19 on Monday, the highest daily death toll since the pandemic surfaced in the Middle Eastern kingdom a year ago, the health ministry said.

The ministry also reported 9,269 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the cumulative total to 544,724 cases.

The government, which says there are 3,277 COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals, is facing a crisis with some hospitals reaching capacity, especially in the capital where over four million people live.

The surge in the last two months, blamed on the fast spread of the variant first identified in Britain, has put Jordan’s infection numbers above those of most of its Middle East neighbours and reverses months of success in containing the outbreak.

It forced the government to reimpose a lockdown on Fridays, extend a night curfew and delay the opening of schools while imposing stringent restrictions on public gatherings and stiffer fines for not wearing masks and ignoring social distancing.

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