A full curfew will be imposed on Friday in Jordan’s capital, Amman, and Zarqa governorate, following a surge in the number of coronavirus infections, the government announced on Wednesday.
The 24-hour curfew will begin from 11 pm on Thursday until 11 pm on Friday, Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said in a media briefing.
It aims at reducing chances and durations of contact among citizens, which is the main reason for the spread of COVID-19 infections, the government spokesman noted, adding that it will enable epidemiological investigation teams to focus their efforts on investigating potential cases in pandemic hotspots.
“Implementing limited lockdowns in a flexible manner contributes to achieving a balance between protecting citizens' health and sustaining the economy.”
According to Adaileh, active medical and nursing personnel will be excluded from the curfew decision, and permits will be granted to a limited number of employees to maintain the operations in some vital sectors, including the media.
Adaileh also affirmed that the Culture Ministry decided to freeze Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts this year, following the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks.
The festival, which was founded in 1981, is an annual event held usually in July in Jerash city (about 51 km northern Amman).
Organizers of the event were hoping to hold a symbolic one-hour event this year without an audience, yet their request was denied, AFP reported.
In June, Jordan decided to end the full curfew and imposed a night curfew instead from 11 pm until 6 am, yet the increase in the number of COVID-19 infections in Amman and Zarqa raised concerns among authorities, who decided to re-impose full curfew.
According to the Health Ministry, 413 cases have been recorded since August 7, while infections were limited to expatriates and those put in quarantine centers
The number of coronavirus cases has amounted to 1,756 until Wednesday and 15 deaths were recorded, according to official figures.
On August 19, Interior Minister Salameh Hammad decided to extend the closure of Jaber border crossing with Syria for a second week, in light of recording dozens of COVID-19 infections among workers there.
Meanwhile, football activities have been suspended in Jordan for 14 days after five Al Faisaly players were tested positive for COVID-19.
The Jordan Football Association said the suspension of football activities was in line with the health procedures taken to limit the virus’s spread.
