Health Ministry requests associations to cancel gatherings

AMMAN — The Ministry of Health has urged the Kingdom’s professional associations to cancel or put on hold all upcoming conferences and association gatherings at the Professional Associations Complex and other affiliated buildings, regardless of their purposes, according to an official letter sent to the associations complex.

The instructions came in implementation of a decision to the same effect made during a Cabinet session on Tuesday, in light of the rapid outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading in the region and the world. The aim of these measures is to preserve public health, according to the letter, a copy of which was shared with The Jordan Times on Thursday.

The Jordan Engineers Association (JEA) has decided to postpone all of its conferences and events, including the Eighth Jordan International Civil Engineering Conference which was supposed to be held from March 24-26, JEA Deputy President Fawzi Mesed told The Jordan Times on Thursday.

“The JEA committee’s decision has come in response to the Cabinet’s decision and the Ministry of Health’s official letter,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education said in a statement made available to The Jordan Times on Thursday that it has decided to halt all of its school activities, competitions, fairs, theatres and graduation celebrations until further notice.

“The Cabinet’s resolution is not mandatory,” President of the Professional Associations Council Mazen Irsheidat told The Jordan Times on Thursday, noting that Jordan “has not reached the point” of restricting all public gatherings, and that the Cabinet's resolution aims at maintaining national security and safety amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Irsheidat, who is also president of the Jordan Bar Association (JBA), noted that households should observe preventative measures to assist in the government’s precautionary efforts.