Jordanian COVID-19 curfews removed from midnight

In April last year, Jordan imposed a nationwide lockdown, including a night curfew, as per the COVID-19 containment measures.

The government has recently announced a set of procedures for the third phase of the plan to return to normalcy, including ending all curfews and resuming in-class education at schools and universities.

Citing improvement in the epidemiological situation, the government has also announced that most sectors will be allowed to work in full capacity at all times.

The government has also referred to the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and the increase in the inoculated population as another major encouraging reason to reopen the country.

Over 4 million of the kingdom’s 10 million population have received the second jab.

The measures will come into effect from Sept. 1.

The Ministry of Education Secretary-General for Administrative and Financial Affairs Najwa Qbeilat said that more than 2 million students will resume in-class education on Wednesday.

The official told the Jordan news agency, Petra, that a set of health measures will be in place at all the Kingdom’s 3,971 public schools, including social distancing and mandatory facemasks.

The government has begun a three-phase plan to gradually reopen closed sectors dubbed “safe summer.”

The first and second phases began on June 1 and July 1 respectively, opening more sectors and adjusting curfew hours to midnight for businesses and 1:00 a.m. for the public.

The end of the nighttime curfew was such “great news” for Amer Badran, owner of Aristotle café in Amman’s Luweibdeh neighborhood.

“It is summer time and people love to stay out until late hours at night. Having to close at midnight was really bad for our business,” said Badran, recalling the days when his café was still open until 3 a.m."

Mohammad Fadel said was also happy to have the curfew canceled forever: “Curfew was not effective in containing COVID-19. The virus does not go to bed at midnight.”