Gov’t to reopen land, sea, air crossing for Jordanians stranded abroad

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh on Thursday announced a plan to open land, sea and air crossings to allow Jordanians who have been stranded or whose work contracts have expired abroad to return to the Kingdom.

During a joint press briefing from the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management, Adaileh said: “We will not abandon our citizens who are stranded abroad, or whose work contracts were terminated due to the pandemic, and we will announce in the coming days a plan for their return through land, sea and air crossings.”

The crisis cell at the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management will soon announce the details, he noted.

"Next Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the crisis cell, will reactivate the online registration platform for those who have not been able to register during the first stage. This includes children born to Jordanian women and non-Jordanian fathers and holders of temporary passports," Adaileh said.

The third stage of the plan to repatriate Jordanians from abroad will start after the Eid Al Fitr holiday and will include new countries from which the government will facilitate Jordanians’ return.

"Regarding the return of Jordanians from abroad, we have so far accomplished two phases, during which about 7,000 Jordanians have returned, and they are currently being subjected to a precautionary quarantine," Adaileh said.

The minister noted that the amendment that the government made on Wednesday to curfew instructions for Eid Al Fitr was "obligatory”, as "the epidemiological indicators during the past days were not comforting".

The amendment decision was taken by the Minister of Health and epidemiological committees in light of developments in the epidemiological situation in the Kingdom and the significant increase in the number of cases during the past days, he added.

"It was our hope that we would be given the full opportunity to express our joy and celebration of eid and to ease curfew measures as much as possible. However, we will continue to impose a total curfew from time to time, which helps to curb the transmission of the virus if it accelerates so that the epidemiological inspection teams can carry out targetted and random tests,” he said.

He noted that the government "understands that the comprehensive lockdown imposes restrictions that cause distress, boredom and exhaustion to citizens, but it is, unfortunately, obliged to take these measures whenever necessary".

"Every time we have to amend our procedures, it is based on feedback from the field,” the minister said.

“As for public sector institutions, working hours will be from 8:30am to 3:30pm, and the concerned minister can change the times according to the respective requirements of work,” he stated.

Given the demands of some female workers in the public sector to open nurseries to provide care for their children when they resume work, Adaileh announced that, in the absence of a specific date for the reopening of nurseries, female workers in the public sector who have children will be able to work remotely.

He said that this move follows the guide set by the government to regulate work resumption in public sector institutions and the circular issued by the Civil Service Bureau on Wednesday.