Eased COVID restrictions take effect today

AMMAN — Eased COVID-19 restrictions, which will come into effect as of Tuesday, are a step towards a gradual return to normal life and will stimulate the economy, trade and tourism, Minister of State for Media Affairs Faisal Shboul said on Monday, highlighting that the current COVID wave appears to have started receding.

Registration on the GATEWAY2JORDAN is no longer a requirement for Jordanians travelling to the Kingdom as of Tuesday, Shboul announced during a meeting with stakeholders from the ministries of Health, Education and Interior.

Shboul, who is also the government spokesperson, highlighted the importance of maintaining awareness campaigns to encourage the citizens and residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to remove further restrictions, in the event that no new COVID waves occur in the upcoming period, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He also stressed the need to increase awareness campaigns aimed at foreign workers, Syrian refugees and children and adolescents less than 18 years of age to receive the COVID vaccine.

Keeping the provisions of the defence laws in place is an urgent necessity for its legalisation that enables the government to support the  hardest-hit sectors, protecting private sector workers and encouraging the public to get vaccinated, as well as help the government prepare for any pandemic-related setbacks, he said.

Najwa Qbeilat, secretary general of the Education Ministry for administrative and financial affairs, said that vaccination rate among students aged 12-17 years has surpassed 20 per cent, noting that several awareness campaigns aimed at the students and their parents are in the pipeline.

The Ministry of Health last week started giving COVID-19 vaccines to children between the ages of 5 and 11, Adviser at the Prime Ministry for Health Affairs Adel Bilbeisi said, urging the parents to get children immunised.

The new procedures include reducing the quarantine period for people who tested positive for COVID to five days starting on the date of the sample without the need to conduct another PCR test. 

The procedures include cancelling quarantine for people who came into contact with COVID-19 patients and cancelling PCR tests for arrivals to the Kingdom at airports, and land and sea crossings, whether they are Jordanians or non-Jordanians.

The procedures also cancelled the requirement for a PCR test to attend concerts, weddings or gatherings, in a way that does not violate Defence Order No. 35 that stipulates one must be vaccinated with two shots before entering public and private facilities.

The procedures also stipulated the cancellation of the 10 per cent condition to switch education in a certain class or schools online.

Students and teachers who test positive for the virus will still be required to isolate for five days starting from the date of sample before they can resume in-class education, without the need to conduct a second PCR test.

The new procedures include issuing the epidemiological report on a weekly basis instead of daily after the end of the current wave in the Kingdom.