Jordan to deploy armed forces in all governorates to enforce weekend COVID-19 curfew

Mazen Faraiah, director of operations at the National Center for Security and Crisis Management’s crisis cell, announces a new weekend curfew during a press conference in Amman, Jordan. (Petra)

• Curfew will be imposed on Thursdays and Fridays
• Education will return back to distance learning

RIYADH: Jordan said it will impose a comprehensive curfew from midnight on Thursday for a period of 48 hours, which will be repeated in the coming weeks.
Armed forces will also be deployed in all governorates of the kingdom, starting from Wednesday morning to ensure the curfew is enforced, said Mazen Faraiah, director of operations at the National Center for Security and Crisis Management’s crisis cell.
Faraiah said that during the curfew hours, no one is permitted to leave their homes, including electronic permit holders, with the exception of epidemiological investigation teams, medical and nursing staff, and a limited number of those in charge of maintaining the work of institutions for vital sectors.
He also said that passengers departing or arriving into Jordan will be allowed to travel during curfew hours, provided they show flight tickets at security checkpoints.
He added that partial curfews will continue to apply daily starting from 12 a.m. for businesses and 1 a.m. for citizens until 6 a.m., stressing that no one is permitted to leave their home unless authorized to do so.
Minister of State for Media Affairs, Amjad Adaileh, said that the high number of coronavirus cases poses a great pressure on the health system.
The kingdom reported 12 COVID-19 related deaths and 1,537 new confirmed cases on Tuesday.
Education minister Tayseer Al-Noaimi said that the ministry decided to “suspend school attendance in all educational authorities, starting from Friday, in order to preserve the health and safety of students, teachers, cadres and the entire community,” state-run Petra news agency reported.
During a press conference, prime minister Omar Razzaz, Al-Noaimi said that schools will continue through distance learning, and added that international examinations will continue in accordance with approved centers, and approved health conditions and protocols.
Al-Noaimi added that “we cannot determine the duration of the suspension, as it depends on the epidemiological situation” of the virus.
He also said that the attendance of teachers and administrative bodies in public schools will be on a rotation basis.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mohieldin Touq, also announced that public and private universities in Jordan will also switch to remote learning for the next semester in all specializations and levels of bachelor’s, diploma, master’s and PhD.