Extended curfew to take effect Tuesday

AMMAN — Jordan will extend curfew hours as of Tuesday, during which businesses will be allowed to operate until 10pm and public movement will be permitted from 6am until 11pm, Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh announced on Monday.

Regarding a 24-hour comprehensive curfew on Friday, August 28, the minister said that issue is still under assessment and an announcement will be made prior 48 hours of enforcing it.

The government will lift the lockdown in the northern border town of Ramtha on Tuesday, while Sahab city, in southern Amman, will be isolated as of Tuesday midnight until the epidemiological situation in the neighbourhood improves, the minister said during a joint press conference.

He noted that all education institutions, popular markets and mosques in Sahab will be closed, while King Abdullah II Industrial City will be allowed to operate, adding that curfew hours in Sahab will be from 8pm till 6am.

Speaking also during the press conference, Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Sami Daoud said that in light of the spike in local virus cases over the last two weeks, the government has decided to decrease the number of public sector employees working on-site to the minimum level.

Priority for remote work will be given to civil servants who live in virus-hit regions, the elderly and pregnant women, Daoud said.

He highlighted the circular issued to all ministries and institutions obligating employees and the public to abide by Defence Order No.11. The minister vowed “zero tolerance” against violations, negligence or underperformance. 

Labour Minister Nidal Bataineh, also speaking during the press conference, announced that a circular was issued making it mandatory for all private sector employees to download the Aman (Safety) application for mobile phones, which alerts users if they come into contact with a person infected with the virus.

The new measures targeting the private sector are aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus in workplaces, Bataineh said.