Coronavirus: Jordan emerges from one of the world's strictest lockdowns

Businesses, mosques and markets reopen after more than two-and-a-half months

People sit at an Amman restaurant that reopened to the public on June 6 as Jordan lifted strict coronavirus restrictions after more than two months. Jordan raised $1.75 billion through a double tranche eurobond. EPAShow less

Jordan officially reopened on Saturday, ending one of the strictest Covid-19 lockdowns in the world as officials declared the country at “moderate risk” of an outbreak.

Restaurants, factories, mosques and markets opened for the first time two-and-a-half months, while restrictions on movement between cities and governorates were lifted and the curfew hours reduced to between midnight and 6am.

New daily cases have been in the single digits for past two weeks, after what officials cautiously describe as a "successful" first stage of lockdown measures and contact tracing that has limited Covid-19 cases to 784, with just nine deaths, in a country where most of the 10.5 million residents live on 5 per cent of the land.

But Jordanians rushing out after spending weeks mostly indoors still face stringent restrictions in offices, places of worship, restaurants, markets and transportation.

Cafes enforced social distancing rules by removing tables and limiting staff and capacity to 50 per cent, while some restricted seating to outside.

“We haven’t seen each other since the lockdown,” said Hana, 27, as she sat down with friends for a coffee and cake at a cafe in west Amman. “We are sitting outside and abiding by regulations as best we can, but we can’t live in fear forever.”

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Coronavirus in the Middle East

Members of a Palestinian team called ''Bella Ciao", dressed as actors of "La Casa de Papel (Money Heist)" series, perform in Gaza City. Reuters

A man takes a selfie with a member of ''Bella Ciao". Reuters

Iraqi medical specialists take part in a testing process for the coronavirus in Baghdad's Karada district. EPA

Iraqi medical specialists take a blood sample from a man for a coronavirus test in Baghdad's Karada district. EPA

Customers sit at a cafe in Damascus, Syria. EPA

Customers sit on the terrace of a cafe in Damascus, Syria. EPA

Iranians walk past in a street, in Tehran. EPA

A Muslim performs the Friday prayers inside the Al-Rajhi Mosque, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

Muslims perform the Friday prayers inside the Al-Rajhi Mosque, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

Yemenis walk past historic buildings in the old quarter of Sanaa. EPA

A worker disinfects a shopper's hands before they enter a mall in Sanaa, Yemen. AP Photo

Jordanians perform their first Friday prayers since the start of the pandemic at a mosque in Amman. EPA

Believers gather in a mosque in Tunis. Tunisia. AP Photo

A drone with a thermal camera flies over Habib Burgiba Street in Tunis, Tunisia. EPA

Mohamed Hawas Al Sadid, CEO of Ambulatory Healthcare Services, at the the new Covid-19 Prime Assessment Centre at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa

Covid-19 positive residents in the waiting room at the new Prime Assessment Center at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa

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At gyms, changing rooms were locked, showers prohibited, and members obliged to wear a mask at all times and restrict their visits to one hour. Some gyms launched an online booking system for members to reserve a slot, while others even encouraged people to bring their own weights.

As public prayers resumed at mosques for the first time since March 17, worshippers returned wearing gloves, masks and carrying their own prayer rugs to comply with health regulations.

Worshippers keep safe distance during Friday prayers at a mosque in Amman on June 5, 2020, a day before Jordan lifted wider restrictions to contain the coronavirus pandemic. AFP

At mosque in west Amman, all copies of the Quran had been removed; placards reading “pray here” were taped in rows across the carpet to ensure worshippers remained two metres apart; and the ablution area was closed.

"Thank God, we are back in the house of God, but everything feels so different," Khaled Waleed, 49, said as he left the mosque, still wearing his mask. "You have to plan your prayers as if you were planning a trip."

There was heavy foot traffic at market in central Amman and near bumper-to-bumper traffic on the streets, yet few people were carrying bags or making purchases.

“It is great for things to be open, but people’s pocketbooks are still closed,” saids Mohammed Nazzal, an employee at a shoe shop.

Prime minister Omar Razzaz noted on Thursday that Jordan had avoided the fate of countries who delayed their Covid-19 response and “paid the price twice” in terms of health and economic costs. He hoped that the economy would be able to rebound quicker as a result.

However, government spokesman Amjad Adaileh cautioned in a press statement on Saturday that the kingdom would return to a partial or even a full lockdown if new infections reached double digits for seven days.

The only sectors in Jordan that remained closed as of Saturday were schools, universities, parks, amusement parks, cultural events and festivals.

Passenger flights to and from the kingdom remain suspended, with officials voicing hope of resuming between Amman and countries with “similar” low Covid-19 rates as the kingdom by late July.