[14 March 2020] Government of Jordan announces new measures to address COVID-19 outbreak | News item

News item | 15-03-2020 | 09:36

Prime Minister, Dr. Omar Al-Razzaz, announced today in a televised statement, a set of additional measures and decisions taken by the government to deal with the emerging Coronavirus COVID-19, in light of the rapid global developments and with the aim of protecting the country and citizens. These measures are:

Education Sector:

• Educational institutions (nurseries, kindergartens, schools, universities, colleges, institutions and training institutes) are to be closed as of Sunday morning, March 15, 2020 for a period of two weeks.
• The working hours of administrators in the Ministry of Education are organized by the directors of education according to the instructions issued in this regard.
• The Ministry of Education will start implementing a distance education program via the Ministry’s e-learning site as of the next week, and via national TV channels as of this week.

Travel Measures:

• Further to the measures previously announced regarding the suspension of flights to/ from some countries as of Monday, March 16, 2020, all flights to/from the Kingdom will be suspended from Tuesday, March 17, 2020, until further notice, excluding commercial freight traffic.
• This does not apply to diplomatic mission staff and international organizations, provided that the Ministry of Health’s instructions, including self-quarantine, are adhered to for 14 days. Diplomatic missions and international organizations will inform the Ministry of Health through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if any symptoms that require medical examinations appear in the diplomatic mission staff.
• Accordingly, all land and sea border crossing points of the kingdom and airports are closed to passenger traffic, except for commercial freight.
• Jordanians abroad are advised to stay put wherever they are.
• Jordanians in neighboring countries, who are in an urgent need to return to Jordan, can enter through land and sea border crossing points, and are subject to the procedures of the Ministry of Health.

Public events, religious rites and tourism:

• All public events and gatherings are suspended. Citizens are advised to avoid social events, including funeral homes and weddings.
• It is stressed that citizens are required to stay in their homes as far as possible, and to avoid leaving homes unless absolutely necessary.
• Under the guidance of the Fatwa Council and the Council of Churches, prayers in all mosques and churches of the Kingdom are suspended, as a precautionary and preventive measure, the call to prayer is raised as scheduled and a unified Friday sermon is broadcasted via TV stations.
• Visits to hospitals and prisons are suspended from tomorrow, Sunday, until further notice.
• Tourist and archaeological sites are closed for a week in order to implement sterilization campaigns in these sites.
• Sporting events are suspended, and cinemas, swimming pools, sports clubs and youth centers are closed until further notice.
• Serving Shisha and smoking in cafes and restaurants are prohibited. The concerned official bodies are authorized to close any café or restaurant not complying with these instructions.
• Cafes and restaurants are required to maintain separate distances between seats, according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health in this regard.

Organizing work in the public and private sectors:

• Ministries, government departments, public and official institutions will continue their work with no suspension.
• As for workers in the private sector, measures will be taken to ensure workers’ safety and business continuity, in cooperation with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and related parties.

Crisis Follow-up and Coordination Measures:

• A designated Crisis Cell will follow-up on developments related to dealing with the emerging coronavirus, and it is composed of the following working groups:
  • A team is assigned to follow up and organize the affairs of borders and airports. 
  • Social Protection Team.
  • Strategic Stockpile Team (Medicine and food)
  • Media Follow-up Team

All measures listed herein will be reviewed periodically to decide whether to extend or suspend them, or to adopt further measures if needed.