The director and four other officials of a Jordanian hospital treating patients with Covid-19 were arrested on Sunday for deaths that occurred after a shortage of oxygen in the establishment, according to judicial sources.
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A prosecutor has decided to detain them for a week for questioning after the death of seven patients on Saturday at the hospital in Salt, near the capital Amman.
Public anger over the deaths led to the resignation of Health Minister Nazir Obeidat.
King Abdullah II, who visited the public hospital on Saturday, ordered its director Abdel Razak al-Khashman to resign as well.
The head of health services in the province where Salt is located has also been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital during the sovereign's visit to express their displeasure.
The two chambers of parliament held emergency sessions on Sunday over the deaths and a commission of inquiry has been set up, a parliamentary source told AFP.
On Sunday evening, several hundred people took to the streets of the center of the capital to protest against a curfew decreed from 7 p.m. (5 p.m. GMT).
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The number of daily cases of the virus in Jordan has increased in recent weeks, prompting authorities to re-impose restrictions, including an all-day curfew on Friday, the day of rest.
Jordan, which launched its Covid-19 vaccination campaign in January, has recorded more than 460,000 cases of contamination and more than 5,200 deaths.
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