Curfew to End in Jordan as COVID Cases Drop

Security officers during curfew in Amman | Photo: AFP
Security officers during curfew in Amman | Photo: AFP
TT

Curfew to End in Jordan as COVID Cases Drop

Security officers during curfew in Amman | Photo: AFP
Security officers during curfew in Amman | Photo: AFP

Fifteen COVID-19 deaths and 1,227 infections, were recorded on Saturday, bringing the caseload to 23,998, the Jordanian government announced.

The new fatalities took the Kingdom's death toll to 181, according to a statement by the Health Ministry.

Observers expressed surprise towards the drop in infection cases during the full curfew imposed on the weekend, following opposite expectations.

Social media activists doubted the accuracy of figures announced by the Health Ministry.

In this context, former Health Minister Saad Jaber admitted to having mistakes in the data entry leading to inaccurate statistics.

The highest tallies are found in the highly populated cities in the governates of Zarqa, Irbid, and Kerak.

Last week, the kingdom saw a sharp rise in cases recording 8,366 local cases and 75 deaths. During the same period, a total of 132,883 tests were carried out.

Jordanians had to remain home during the weekend due to a curfew imposed by the authorities and overseen by the Jordanian Armed Forces on the cities’ main entrances and exits. Meanwhile, the Public Security oversaw residential areas.

The curfew ends on Sunday morning, but the night curfew will remain in place.



Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
TT

Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said his administration would announce the new structure of the defense ministry and military within days.

In a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, al-Sharaa said that his administration would not allow for arms outside the control of the state.

An official source told Reuters on Saturday that Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency that toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, had been named as defense minister in the interim government.
Sharaa did not mention the appointment of a new defense minister on Sunday.
Sharaa discussed the form military institutions would take during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA said.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said last week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former opposition factions and officers who defected from Assad's army.

Earlier Sunday, Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt held talks with al-Sharaa in Damascus.

Jumblatt expressed hope that Lebanese-Syrian relations “will return to normal.”

“Syria was a source of concern and disturbance, and its interference in Lebanese affairs was negative,” al-Sharaa said, referring to the Assad government. “Syria will no longer be a case of negative interference in Lebanon," he added.