Jordan will impose a new five-day lockdown from tomorrow in response to a sharp resurgence in Covid-19 cases in the country.
The fresh restrictions on movement, which are likely to weigh on demand for transport fuels, will take effect at 21:00 tomorrow for businesses and at 22:00 for individuals, following the conclusion of voting in parliamentary elections. The lockdown will last until 06:00 on 15 November.
During this period, people will only be allowed to leave their homes if they have a permit from the authorities. Election candidates, staff, and accredited media representatives covering the election will also be exempt from the curfew until the results are official.
This curfew is the latest in a series of localised and national curfews that have been reimposed since Covid-19 infections began to tick up markedly at the end of August. Daily case numbers in Jordan averaged 4,600 in the first seven days of this month, up from 1,195 a day in the first week of October. Jordan reported a record daily high of 5,877 new cases on 3 November.
Total infections recorded in Jordan have increased to more than 104,000 from just 20,200 a month ago. Until late August, Jordan had been one of the least affected countries in the Middle East and north Africa region.