Merchants feel pinch of weekend lockdown

AMMAN — The Jordan Chamber of Commerce on Sunday said the two-day nationwide lockdown caused a 40 per cent decline in sales.

“The restaurants and shops were the most hit because of the two-day lockdown by the government,” said Nael Kabariti,  chairman of the Board of Jordan Chamber of Commerce.

Last week, the government announced that a nationwide lockdown would be imposed every Friday and Saturday for an indefinite period in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Citizens usually wait for the weekend to do their shopping and go to restaurants, Kabariti told The Jordan Times.

“Friday and Saturday are vital days for both the consumers and the business owners and this will lead to more financial losses in the near future for shops and restaurant owners,” Kabariti stressed.

In addition, Kabariti said that the fear among the public “from the future uncertainties is stopping them from buying any goods”.

“People are living in a state of fear and are afraid to spend money on certain items such as clothes because they are not sure what the future holds,” Kabariti said.

In August, Jordan Chamber of Industry President Fathi Jaghbir also warned of a nationwide lockdown and told The Jordan Times that “we cannot afford another lockdown because the situation is very hard on everyone and it will affect the employees and the owners of businesses and industries".

Jaghbir had urged the government to ensure that "these entities are abiding by strict health rules and regulations, instead of enforcing the weekend lockdown”.

The Jordan Association for Restaurants and Sweets Shops Owners estimated that around 400,000 employees are working at food establishments and that “these employees and their families have already suffered from the first closure in March”.

 “We understand that the health of people should be a priority, but we hope that the government would adopt some strategies such as introducing certain financial incentives for the business owners and securing cash for its citizens to give them more confidence and boost the economy,” Kabariti said.