National Anti-Pandemic Committee recommends allowing 14 sectors to start working within limitations

AMMAN — The National Anti-Pandemic Committee on Wednesday recommended allowing 14 sectors to start working as of Sunday under certain conditions to preserve public health and safety.

The committee recommended that the sectors work for five days, utilising only 20 per cent of workers, and if the total number of workers is less than 10, only two will be allowed to run the business, according to the minutes of the meeting shared on local news outlets.

The sectors included are vocational professions such as electricity workers, sanitary installations workers and mechanics, clothing shops (delivery only), construction materials and tools shops and contractors (for the public sector and only in areas far from residential complexes).

The sectors also include home and office furniture stores, electronic appliance shops, art production (series, programmes and others), renewable energy, the National Electric Power company (only 50 per cent of employees allowed), medical necessities’ sector, computer and mobile selling and maintenance shops, iron and plastic factories, the Jordan Bromine Company and also factories.

Factories with a total of five workers are allowed to have three employees working, with five to ten employees four employees can work and with 10 to 20 workers up to seven employees are allowed to work.

While medical and foodstuffs factories have been operating at minimum capacity at the Jordan Industrial Estates Company (JIEC), once the committee’s recommendation goes into effect, it will help the other included industries continue operation under the set instructions, a source at JIEC told The Jordan Times on Thursday over the phone.

“At JIEC, there are teams working regularly and conducting tours around factories to check on their commitment to health and safety standards,” the source said, noting that many of the businesses included in the recommendation have factories in the industrial estates that are ready to continue operation if the decision goes into effect.

Several investors voiced praise for the measures and field follow-ups of JIEC to ensure safety of production in many of its estates allowed to work under the current circumstances, according to a statement shared by the corporation.

JIEC Chairman of the Board of Director Loay Sehwail visited several factories and companies in Al Hassan Industrial Estate to ensure production is on going to supply the local market with the necessities, and he was accompanied by director general of the corporation Omar Jwaid, president of the Irbid Chamber of Industry Hani Abu Hassan and director of Al Hassan Industrial Estate Hani Thiabat.

Jwaid said that 20 factories are currently operating in Al Hassan Industrial Estate, in the fields of sanitisers, water and foodstuffs, which were given permission to work under the Defence Law Orders currently enforced, according to the statement.

During Wednesday’s briefing, Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said that curfew regulations will be amended and mitigated for citizens in areas that have not yet registered any cases of coronavirus, noting that Aqaba will be the first to witness more relaxed regulations starting on Sunday morning.

However, prior to easing procedures, epidemiological investigation teams will conduct large-scale random testing, the minister said, adding that easing regulations will depend on the public’s commitment to precautionary measures, and withdrawn whenever necessary.