Jordan to reopen airports to ‘low risk’ countries – Saudi Gazette

Jordan to reopen airports to ‘low risk’ countries – Saudi Gazette

AMMAN “” Jordan will reopen its airports to commercial flights next month after a near five-month shutdown imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus, an official said Sunday.

The move comes as the country is trying to revive its economy which has been badly hit since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Civil Aviation Commission chief Haitham Misto told state television that flights from 22 "low risk“ countries will be allowed from Aug. 5.

The countries listed by the health ministry include Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Georgia, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Thailand, he said.

Travelers from those countries will not need to isolate for 14 days when they reach Jordan but must be tested for the virus before arriving, Misto said, adding that the list would be updated every two weeks.

Transport Minister Khaled Saif, however, said that those travelers must show proof of having spent two weeks in one of the countries on the list before arriving in Jordan.

Anyone providing false information will be fined 10,000 dinars ($14,000), he said.

The desert kingdom, which has recorded 1,154 cases of the virus including 11 deaths, imposed a tough curfew enforced with drones to curb the spread of COVID-19, before easing