Jordan: Face masks are mandatory as of August 15 ... and fines reach $ 300
Jordan imposes mandatory wearing of masks, starting next Saturday, corresponding to August 15, in closed public places to combat the outbreak of the new Corona virus, and non-observers will face fines ranging from 30 to about 300 dollars.
The measure aims to combat the new local infections that were recorded during the past few days in the governorates of Irbid and Mafraq, in the north of the Kingdom, which raise fears of a second wave of the epidemic that may constitute a painful blow to the Jordanian economy, which suffers from difficulties and an external debt exceeding $ 40 billion.
And a large number of people ignore the recommended health measures of social distancing and putting masks in closed public places.
As of Sunday evening, the number of cases of "Covid-19" virus in Jordan reached 1252, while the number of deaths reached 11.
The Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs, Amjad Al-Adaileh, announced on Monday that "the government will start activating Defense Order No. 11 of 2020, starting next Saturday, August 15th."
He added, in statements reported by the Armenian News Agency (Petra), that "Defense Order 11 obligates the owners of facilities and individuals with the utmost caution and caution, and imposes penalties on every facility in which its workers or users are not obligated to wear masks or that neglect prevention methods to follow practices that endanger the health of citizens." And their safety is at stake. "
Al-Adayleh explained that "Defense Order 11 includes imposing penalties and fines on those who do not comply with the instructions to prevent and control infection in the community to limit the spread of the virus among citizens, as the fine for individuals in violation ranges from 20 to 50 dinars, (30 to 70 dollars) and for violating facilities from 100 Up to 200 dinars (150 to 285 dollars) in addition to closing the violating facility for a period of 14 days. "
He emphasized that "the government gave public and private sector institutions a grace period before activating the defense order in order to be able to provide health protection requirements such as sterilizers, masks, adhere to physical distancing and prevent the gathering of more than 20 people."
And Jordanian Minister of Health Saad Jaber called on Prime Minister Omar Razzaz to activate the "defense order" for putting masks "to prevent the transmission of the virus in closed workplaces."
Jaber called on citizens to put masks in "malls, supermarkets, shops of all kinds, cellular communications companies, the electricity company, the water authority, banks and offices."
He also called on them to put masks on public transport, including buses, taxis, taxis, private vehicles in which more than one person is present, and lounges and halls of all uses, and hairdressing and beauty salons.
The health authorities in the Kingdom announce on a daily basis that injuries are recorded among Jordanians coming from abroad and who are subject to quarantine for a period of two weeks in hotels specially prepared for this purpose in Amman and the Dead Sea hotels (50 km west of Amman).