Jordanian authorities imposed a total curfew on Friday to facilitate the work of the epidemiological investigation teams who will be sterilizing some public facilities.
The country has been on complete lockdown since March 18, after King Abdullah II issued a decree activating Defense Law No. 13, which gives the prime minister extra powers to enforce a set of measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.
All movement was banned across the country, except for trucks providing food and medical supplies.
Other measures included the suspension of prayers at mosques and churches, banning wedding events and funeral gatherings, and limiting crowds to no more than 10 persons.
Social media has become the only place to announce a death and receive condolences.
Amid these scenes of grief, the state of emergency forced Jordanian families to bury their dead within very narrow restrictions. Only close family members could obtain movement permits to attend the funeral.
On the other hand, social solidarity emerged in different forms and expressions.
In the country’s neighborhoods, young men and women volunteered to deliver food and basic needs to the elderly, or to distribute food parcels offered through private and community initiatives or by wholesalers.
Many employees have deducted sums from their monthly wages, and donated them to low-income families. Some owners of residential and commercial properties exempted tenants from the monthly rent.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said that he has submitted the resignation of Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Shehadeh to King Abdullah II, according to an official statement issued by Petra news agency.
The statement noted that the minister’s resignation “emanated from the commitment to political and moral responsibility, and the result of administrative mistakes that occurred in some agricultural directorates in the Kingdom’s governorates.”
