Crisis cell announces exemptions for Friday blanket lockdown

AMMAN — The National Centre for Security and Crisis Management (NCSCM) on Thursday announced exemptions for the 24-hour comprehensive lockdown, which begins on Thursday 10pm and lasts until Friday 10 pm, during which only authorised persons are allowed movement.

Exemptions included all medical personnel working in public and private sectors, the centre said, noting that the health sector must work within the minimum number of personnel to maintain the work flow.

Regarding the sector’s administrative personnel, they must carry an official letter or identification card.

Private laboratories which are accredited with the Health Ministry to conduct COVID-19 tests are also exempted, provided that they move by vehicles that have the laboratory tag and carry an identification card.

All pharmacies' owners are also exempted and allowed to open their pharmacies from 10am until 6pm without selling directly to customers, instead delivering medicines, medical equipment and baby formula via the delivery service, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

All gas distribution agencies and their vehicles in the Kingdom are exempted from the nationwide curfew from 6am to 6pm, the NCSCM said, adding that water tanks are allowed to movement from 10am to 4pm.

All persons who work night shifts are also exempted, provided that they do not leave the workplace until the end of the lockdown, the NCSCM said.

Land transport sector, including trucks and clearance sector, are also exempted, with trucks allowed movement to and from all airports, border crossings and land centres. Drivers and workers in the clearance sector must carry an official letter or identification card.

Trucks transporting food from one governorate to another are also exempted from the blanket curfew.

Also, the exemptions include those being released from hospitals and the Dead Sea isolation area, by displaying their discharge papers.

Mechanical and maintenance workshops that are located directly on the main external roads connecting the governorates of the Kingdom are allowed work during curfew hours to serve the exempted vehicles.

Arrivals to the Kingdom via border crossings are also exempted, provided that they show their passports, while departures must have a permit from the related bodies.

For passengers' movement, travellers are only required to show police a copy of their tickets, the centre said, noting that only one person is allowed to drop off travellers at the airport, who should also carry a copy of the ticket.

Regarding agriculture sector, farmers are allowed to transport their olive harvest to oil mills during the lockdown, provided they obtain permissions issued by agriculture departments in each governorate, with owners and workers in olive presses exempted.

Pet store owners are allowed to move between 2pm and 4pm on Friday to attend to the pets, provided that they carry a licence from the municipality and the Ministry of Agriculture.

Trucks loaded with live chicken are allowed movement from 8pm until the end of the curfew. Trucks carrying vegetables are allowed movement from farms and central markets, as of 6pm until the end of the lockdown, while workers in the vegetable central markets are allowed to work from 6pm until the end of the curfew.

The NCSCM said that dialysis and cancer patients are also exempted from the decision, from 10am to 2pm, noting that they must carry cards and check-up dates.

Individual permits are granted for emergency cases through communication with each governorate’s operating rooms by the administrative governors, the NCSCM said.