Jordan Expected to Ease Lockdown Measures

Sterilization of a mosque in the Jordanian capital before reopening the places of worship (AFP)
Sterilization of a mosque in the Jordanian capital before reopening the places of worship (AFP)
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Jordan Expected to Ease Lockdown Measures

Sterilization of a mosque in the Jordanian capital before reopening the places of worship (AFP)
Sterilization of a mosque in the Jordanian capital before reopening the places of worship (AFP)

Decisions to return to normal life in the various economic sectors are expected to be issued in Jordan, Asharq Al-Awsat learned from government sources.

The government eased some of the lockdown measures it has taken since mid-March and started opening the closed governorates and allowing people to move freely.

It has earlier reduced the hours of the partial curfew, on the eve of a decision expected to reopen restaurants and cafes with specific limitations early next week.

The decision will allow citizens to move from 8 am till 10 pm, sources affirmed, adding that the government is considering limiting the hours of the partial curfew to the dawn.

This comes in parallel with the decision to allow tourist restaurants to resume their work and receive customers and reopen the closed governorates, in preparation to resume the internal tourism activity.

The Kingdom has also announced lifting a ban on prayers in mosques and churches starting Friday, June 5, in light of preventive measures announced by the government, which stressed on people to adhere to.

Jordan in on the verge of an important stage of a breakthrough, Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz tweeted on Tuesday.

He affirmed that the government will take systematic procedures and standards it will soon announce.

Various economic sectors have demanded their return to work under strict health conditions and preventive measures overseen by health authorities. These include restaurants and cafes, provided that they commit to operating only 50 percent of its area to ensure applying social distancing policies.

On Tuesday, nine new coronavirus cases were recorded, bringing the total number of cases since the beginning of the health crisis to 757. Among these are 146 cases that are still receiving treatment.

The government, meanwhile, continues to implement partial bans in the kingdom, the closure of governorates, disruption of universities and schools, and a reduction in the percentage of employees working in the public sector.



Erdogan: Kurdish Militia in Syria Will Be Buried If They Do Not Lay Down Arms

A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
TT

Erdogan: Kurdish Militia in Syria Will Be Buried If They Do Not Lay Down Arms

A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Kurdish fighters in Syria will either lay down their weapons or "be buried", amid hostilities between Türkiye-backed Syrian fighters and the militants since the fall of Bashar al-Assad this month.
Following Assad's departure, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the Kurdish YPG group must disband, asserting that the group has no place in Syria's future. The change in Syria's leadership has left the country's main Kurdish factions on the back foot.
"The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons," Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament.
"We will eradicate the terrorist organization that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings," he added.
Türkiye views the Kurdish YPG group- the main component of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union. Ankara has repeatedly called on its NATO ally Washington and others to stop supporting the YPG.
Earlier, Türkiye's defense ministry said the armed forces had killed 21 YPG-PKK militants in northern Syria and Iraq.
In a Reuters interview last week, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi acknowledged the presence of PKK fighters in Syria for the first time, saying they had helped battle ISIS and would return home if a total ceasefire was agreed with Türkiye, a core demand from Ankara.
He denied any organizational ties with the PKK.
Erdogan also said Türkiye would soon open its consulate in Aleppo, and added Ankara expected an increase in traffic at its borders in the summer of next year, as some of the millions of Syrian migrants it hosts begin returning.