Jordan extends night curfew after wide spread of British virus strain

Jordan extends night curfew after wide spread of British virus strain

Jordan announced stricter measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 on Wednesday and reimposed a full lockdown on Fridays after a month-long spike in cases attributed mainly to the fast transmission of the British variant of the coronavirus.

Health Minister Nathir Obeidat said the British variant was spreading fast across the country, threatening a deadly new wave unless people adhered to social distancing and mask-wearing in public.

The cabinet has decided to extend the country's curfew back to 10 p.m., effective Thursday, after loosening it to midnight last month, and businesses would have to close at 9 p.m., Obeidat said. It was also reimposing a Friday lockdown, he said.

"We have seen a wide spread of COVID-19 and the British variant is the one now dominant in the capital and provinces," he told a news conference.

The kingdom announced the appearance of the new variants after two travellers arrived from Britain in late December.

The cabinet also stiffened fines on people who fail to wear face masks and on businesses that do not impose social distancing measures, but avoided more drastic measures in an effort to protect the economy, which saw its worst contraction in decades last year.

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