School Year to Begin in Early September in Jordan, Fears of Another Virus Outbreak

A Jordanian child taking a PCR test in Ramtha city on August 17, 2020 (EPA)
A Jordanian child taking a PCR test in Ramtha city on August 17, 2020 (EPA)
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School Year to Begin in Early September in Jordan, Fears of Another Virus Outbreak

A Jordanian child taking a PCR test in Ramtha city on August 17, 2020 (EPA)
A Jordanian child taking a PCR test in Ramtha city on August 17, 2020 (EPA)

The school year is scheduled to being in early September in Jordan, amidst fears of a coronavirus outbreak among students.

Parents are concerned about their children’s return to schools, especially after recording a high number of local infections and the weakness of school infrastructure, mainly in the provinces and remote villages.

Many have also expressed grave concern about the students' non-compliance with public safety measures.

Minister of Education Tayseer al-Nuaimi affirmed that the school year will begin within certain arrangements that will soon be announced.

The ministry is reviewing a number of possibilities on the form of students’ return to schools in some areas, he added in televised statements.

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, for his part, said there are several alternatives that depend on the seriousness of the situation in each area and the developments of the epidemiological situation.

He pointed out that some public and private schools will resume as usual while adhering to health requirements, while others will partially open, and schools located in isolated areas will rely on distance learning.

The Kingdom has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus infections after detecting a defect at the border crossings and the smuggling of infected people, as well as weak procedures taken by the staff there.

Health ministry statistics have revealed an unprecedented increase in the number of cases after recording about 120 infections during the past five days alone.

Authorities have isolated dozens of buildings and institutions in which people infected work or live and in light of official warnings of not knowing the sources of infection.

It has also imposed strict measures by forcing all facilities to shut down and imposing a curfew starting from 10 pm.

A new death from coronavirus was recorded on Sunday, bringing the total number of deaths to 12, while the number of infected people amounted to 1,576 since early March.

There are 291 cases that are receiving treatment in government hospitals, and the number of infections is increasing in major cities.



Jordan Foreign Minister Safadi to Visit Damascus on Monday

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, attending a press conference after a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024.  EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, attending a press conference after a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
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Jordan Foreign Minister Safadi to Visit Damascus on Monday

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, attending a press conference after a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024.  EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, attending a press conference after a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi will visit Damascus on Monday and meet with Syria's de facto new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Jordanian foreign ministry said in a post on X.
Al-Sharaa began outlining his first government after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, appointing a close ally and founding member of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, as Foreign Minister in the interim government.
He also appointed Aisha al-Dabbas, the first woman in his government, and assigned her a newly created office focused on women's affairs.
He also appointed Marhaf Abu Qasra as Minister of Defense, and Azam Gharib, as Governor of Aleppo.
Foreign governments began reaching out to the new regime in Damascus, shortly after the United States announced the cancellation of a $10 million reward for the arrest of al-Sharaa over alleged involvement in terrorism.