Jordan to enter days-long lockdown after poll results

AMMAN — Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Bisher Al Khasawneh on Sunday announced that a nationwide lockdown will be imposed immediately following the announcement of the results of the parliamentary elections around 5pm on Wednesday, November 11, until 6am on Sunday, November 15.

Speaking during a press conference that was broadcast live from the Prime Ministry, Khasawneh paid tribute to healthcare workers, including physicians, who have lost their lives due to COVID-19 on the frontlines “to protect us and protect our families”.

“We really appreciate their efforts and sacrifices, and we stress the need to support the health workers,” Khasawneh stressed.

“Citizens need to become more and more responsible by abiding by the strict health rules and procedures such as wearing face masks and ensuring physical distancing to prevent the spread of the virus,” the premier told reporters.

Khasawneh said that the government took new decisions upon the recommendations of the National Anti-Pandemic Committee, including the closure of pools at hotels and complexes, fitness centres and children's parks starting Monday.

The decisions also include preventing  gatherings and extending the curfew by one hour. Establishments and businesses are allowed operate from 6am until 9pm as of Monday and public movement is allowed until 10pm, Khasawneh said.

“Starting tomorrow, there will be more police patrols that would enforce the defence laws in terms of wearing facemasks and issuing fines against violators,” Khasawneh said.

Regarding the reopening of schools and universities and the resumption of in class-education, the premier said they will remain closed until the end of the year as announced before.

“We realise that there will be gaps because we will not be sending children to physically attend the classes but the statistics have indicated that attending universities and schools increases the number of COVID-19 infection by 34 per cent,” the PM said.

Also speaking during the briefing, Minister of Health Nathir Obeidat said the Kingdom has witnessed a 16 per cent increase in COVID-19 infections.

Obeidat said that the health sector is capable of handling the increase in the numbers and have contacted a number of private hospitals to provide extra beds.

The Health Ministry has coordinated with the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army to establish three mobile hospitals in different parts of the Kingdom to increase the number of virus test, he added.

The health minister also said that 235,000 flu vaccines were made available the public health sector, while the private health sector was supplied with around 65,000 vaccines.

As for the COVID-19 vaccine, Obeidat told reporters that efforts are being exerted to import them once they are available.

“Jordan has already taken an extra step by contacting international companies and health entities to ensure that we get a share of the COVID-19 vaccine once it is available,” Obeidat said, adding that the vaccine will cover around 2,200,000 citizens.

Wael Hayajneh, who is in charge of the Coronavirus File at the Ministry of Health, added that the government has adopted several measures to protect health workers by expanding services, increasing staff numbers and testing people who are in hospitals to protect the sector and patients as well.

Hayajneh added that the ministry is following up on people who have tested positive and are under self-quarantine at homes.

“We spoke yesterday with 12,000 citizens to check on them and more calls were made earlier and we will declare tomorrow the number of recovered people,” Hayajneh said.

Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of State for Media Affairs Musa Maaytah told reporters that “around 80 per cent reduction in infections might be achieved if people abided by physical distancing and refrained from certain social behaviours such as hugging and kissing in social gatherings”.

In response to a question by a reporter regarding health hazards that might occur because of the elections, Maaytah stressed that “holding the elections does not pose any threats”.

“It is the gatherings before and after that is worrying the government, which forced us to announce the upcoming nationwide lockdown,” Maaytah said.