Government to announce set of new health measures this week — PM

AMMAN — An integrated system, based on geographic information system, informing citizens about mechanisms related to lockdowns, curfews and isolation of certain areas, will be announced this week, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Omar Razzaz said on Sunday.

The system was developed by the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management in cooperation with ministries and the concerned authorities, the PM said during his weekly address to the nation.

Razzaz said that a set of health standards and measures related to “reactivate” the Kingdom's land, sea and air border crossings will also be announced this week.

The move would help in receiving more Jordanian expatriates while maintaining health standards, the premier said.

The number of hotel rooms allocated for institutional quarantine went up to reach 12,000, he said.

The premier reviewed the impact of the government's measures to handle the COVID-19 pandemic and a roadmap, launched seven months ago, to adapt with the virus crisis and contain the negative repercussions on the economy.

With regard to the reopening of schools and the start of the new academic year on Tuesday, the prime minister pointed out the options are not limited to either the complete resumption of the educational process at schools for all students or the complete shutdown of schools and the use of distance education.

"We are watching what is happening in other countries of the world. The vast majority of countries have opened their schools or are planning to do so. However, there are very few, with a very high number of infections not comparable to Jordan, that will continue to employ distance education," Razzaz said.

The prime minister assured that the distance education system is in place, however, this mode of education “cannot be a substitute to the in-class education in the long run”. 

“Direct interaction between students and teachers is of paramount importance,” he said.

The Education Ministry has developed a set of models that take into account the situation of the school and the region, the PM said, highlighting the availability of tools for remote learning which provides educational alternatives that keep pace with the health conditions in a certain region and avoid overcrowding in schools.

He also added that the Education Ministry will launch a link showing the status of each school, whether the mode of teaching is online or in-class, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.