Jordan reimposes restrictions on schools, businesses after COVID-19 spike

Sep 14, 2020

A spike in coronavirus cases has prompted Jordan to suspend schools and announce a series of nationwide restrictions for two weeks beginning Thursday. 

The government is shuttering places of worship, cafes, restaurants and public markets, and schools will switch to online learning for all but grades 1, 3 and 12.  

Health Minister Saad Jaber said he hopes the measures are enough to avoid reimposing a harsh nationwide lockdown and an army-enforced round-the-clock curfew, which kept the virus in check in March but strained Jordan’s already fragile economy.

“We hope the new measures, though [they] might be tough, [will] reduce the number of infections, and we are cautious not to return to blanket curfews,” Jaber told reporters, according to state news agency Petra. 

Jordan began easing restrictions in April and allowed more than 2.1 million students to return to school this month. Last week, Jordan’s international airport in Amman resumed regularly scheduled international flights after a six-month closure.