Hammouri announces resumption of economic activity in all sectors as of Wednesday

AMMAN — Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri on Sunday announced the reopening of all economic sectors as of Wednesday, including those that were not allowed to operate fully during the lockdown. The sectors will be permitted to work at full production capacity provided that the percentage of Jordanian employment in the establishment does not fall below 75 per cent.

Hammouri also announced, during a press briefing at the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management, the postponement of a decision to reopen schools, kindergartens, universities, colleges and institutes, cultural and training centres, restaurants and cafes, stressing that only delivery services are allowed to operate at the current phase, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Public swimming pools, sports clubs, places of worship, wedding halls, parks, amusement parks, places of entertainment, cinemas and party, festival, conference and exhibition planning companies, will also remain closed, the minister said.

Hammouri announced the resumption of all means of public transport within every governorate at a seating capacity of 50 per cent and according to the regulations specified by the Minister of Transport.

He also announced the cancellation of driving under the odd-even system as of next Sunday, after which citizens will be permitted to use their vehicles in every governorate until 6pm daily.

As for restaurants, pastry shops and bakeries, he announced that as of Wednesday, they will be allowed to provide takeaway services until 6pm and delivery services until 8pm. The testing of workers will be limited to random tests as determined by the Minister of Tourism, without mandatory COVID-19 tests for all workers.

He also announced that bakeries are permitted to sell sweets, provided that they are pre-packaged in ready-to-sell packages.

Hammouri affirmed the continuation of inspection and oversight rounds of economic establishments to ensure compliance with safety and health conditions.

The number of establishments that were visited by regulatory authorities from April 26 through Saturday reached 12,661, of which 615 were closed due to violations, he said.

Hammouri confirmed the availability of 4,000,000 masks in the markets of the civil and military consumer corporations, noting that all these recent decisions are subject to amendment given the changing epidemiological situation in the Kingdom.