Hawari issues circular on eased COVID restrictions

AMMAN — Health Minister Feras Al Hawari on Thursday issued a circular to embark on applying new eased procedures to deal with the pandemic as of March 1.

The government announced these procedures last week during a press conference Hawari held with Minister of State for Media Affairs Faisal Shboul, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

These 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 commencement of in-class education on February 20, which is already in effect, with the cancellation of the 10 per cent condition to switch education in a certain class or schools online.

Students 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, stressing that the pandemic is still ongoing locally and globally, where all decisions are subject to health developments.