Most Schools Reopen in Jordan amid COVID-19 Spike

Refugee students gesture as they learn how to sanitize their hands on the first day of school, amid fears of rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Amman, Jordan September 1, 2020. (Reuters)
Refugee students gesture as they learn how to sanitize their hands on the first day of school, amid fears of rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Amman, Jordan September 1, 2020. (Reuters)
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Most Schools Reopen in Jordan amid COVID-19 Spike

Refugee students gesture as they learn how to sanitize their hands on the first day of school, amid fears of rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Amman, Jordan September 1, 2020. (Reuters)
Refugee students gesture as they learn how to sanitize their hands on the first day of school, amid fears of rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Amman, Jordan September 1, 2020. (Reuters)

Nearly two million children returned to school in Jordan on Tuesday after a five month-absence, although authorities were forced to suspend teaching in some areas due to a spike in cases of COVID-19, officials said.

Several schools for Palestinian refugees and state schools were closed in some neighborhoods of the capital, Amman, after cases doubled in the city of 3 million in recent days.

Authorities hesitated in the last fortnight over reopening schools on Sept. 1 after the country saw over 600 cases within just a week, its highest number of infections since March.

UNRWA, the main UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said at least 115,000 pupils returned to its schools on Tuesday. Classes have been split with half the children attending school the other half learning at home in rotation.

Lessons in a refugee camp near the city of Madaba were suspended after a woman tested positive, officials said.

Although the kingdom has fared better than most Middle Eastern countries with only 2,034 cases and just 15 deaths, the recent uptick has brought fears Jordan could be on the verge of a new wave.

The spike has prompted the authorities this week to toughen a nationwide overnight curfew, close a main border crossing with Syria and postpone the opening of the country’s airport for regular commercial flights.

Although many were happy at schools reopening some parents remained anxious despite measures such as compulsory face masks and social distancing.

“I am very concerned to be honest, the decision (to return to school) with the rising number of cases in the past ten days, worries me,” said parent Mahmoud Farfora.

Financial concerns as a result of the pandemic have forced parents to withdraw at least 40,000 pupils from private schools that educate almost half the country’s school children, leaving teachers in the sector suffering redundancies and wage cuts.



Israel Declares 'New Phase' of War, Netanyahu Promises to Return Citizens of the North

FILED - 02 September 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference. Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO/dpa
FILED - 02 September 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference. Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO/dpa
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Israel Declares 'New Phase' of War, Netanyahu Promises to Return Citizens of the North

FILED - 02 September 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference. Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO/dpa
FILED - 02 September 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference. Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO/dpa

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday that Israel was “at the start of a new phase in the war” amid rising tension with Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

“We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance,” Gallant told Israeli troops.

He made no mention of the explosions of electronic devices in Lebanon but praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, saying “the results are very impressive.”

Israeli leaders have issued a series of warnings in recent weeks that they might increase operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying they must put a stop to the cross-border exchanges to allow people to return to homes near the border.

Israel began moving more troops to its border with Lebanon on Wednesday as a precautionary measure, according to an official with knowledge of the movements who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

In his comments, Gallant said that after months of fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip, “the center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces.”

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu huddled with top security officials at Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv, the country's army chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said plans have been drawn up for additional action against Hezbollah.

Israel will ensure that tens of thousands of residents evacuated from northern border areas will be able to go back home, Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

"I have said it before, we will return the citizens of the north to their homes in security and that's exactly what we are going to do," he said in a brief video statement, giving no further details.

Israeli sources with knowledge of the matter said the army had moved its 98th Division, which includes commando and paratrooper formations, from Gaza to the north.