AMMAN — The ban on imports of certain foodstuff from Syria
will not affect the Jordanian market, unless the ban includes goods transiting
through this neighboring country, said Chairman of the Jordan Chamber of
Commerce (JCC) Nael Kabariti.
اضافة اعلان
His statement came in response to the Syrian
ministry of health announcement that the death toll from cholera had risen to
14 deaths and 201 cases so far.
According to Kabariti, the government
decision does not involve “canned and processed food”, only raw food items,
“for fear of contamination with cholera”.
He said that “Jordan’s imports from Syria
are limited to certain fruits and vegetables, and other kinds of commodities
that need permits (to be imported). That is why the decision will not affect
the local market unless the ban includes goods transiting through Syria.”
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply
spokesman Yanal Barmawi told
Jordan News that “Jordan imports its needs
of food commodities from different sources only if they meet health and safety
standards.”
Member of the National Committee for Epidemiology,
Najwa Khoury, told
Jordan News that “cholera spread is linked to
environmental pollution and inadequate access to clean water.”
But if “sometimes people infected with
cholera do not develop any symptoms, we have to ensure that our water resources
are not affected by wastewater in Syria. Also, it is important to monitor
diarrhea cases because cholera is a diarrheal infection,” she warned.
Khoury advised Jordanians to boil drinking
water as a precautionary measure, and not to underestimate symptoms of
diarrhea.
“It is important that we make sure that no
contamination reaches the Jordan Valley water channel. It is essential that we
monitor all water sources and use surveillance cameras if needed,” she
stressed.
Khoury added that testing for cholera at
border crossings is hard, “since such tests can only be made through a stool or
rectal swab sample”.
One step that could be taken was the
government decision, on Monday, to prevent the entry of raw goods and juices
from Syria; exceptions made for canned goods.
Advisor at the Prime Ministry for
epidemiological affairs Adel Al-Belbeisi said that “the government has set
harsh conditions at the border with Syria to prevent cholera from spreading to
the Kingdom.”
He pointed out that the ministry examines 15
percent of the daily cases of diarrhea that reach public hospitals, to ensure
that there are no cholera cases.
Jordan imports from Syria are estimated by the Jordan
Chamber of Industry to stand at $56.9 million.
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