King Abdullah Gets COVID-19 Jab as Jordan Reopens Economic Sectors

Jordan’s King Abdullah II was vaccinated alongside his son and Crown Prince Hussein and his uncle Prince Hassan in Amman on Jan. 14, 2021, the royal palace said. (Twitter/@RHCJO)
Jordan’s King Abdullah II was vaccinated alongside his son and Crown Prince Hussein and his uncle Prince Hassan in Amman on Jan. 14, 2021, the royal palace said. (Twitter/@RHCJO)
TT

King Abdullah Gets COVID-19 Jab as Jordan Reopens Economic Sectors

Jordan’s King Abdullah II was vaccinated alongside his son and Crown Prince Hussein and his uncle Prince Hassan in Amman on Jan. 14, 2021, the royal palace said. (Twitter/@RHCJO)
Jordan’s King Abdullah II was vaccinated alongside his son and Crown Prince Hussein and his uncle Prince Hassan in Amman on Jan. 14, 2021, the royal palace said. (Twitter/@RHCJO)

Jordan’s King Abdullah II received a COVID-19 vaccine jab on Thursday, a day after the country launched its inoculation campaign.

Also, Crown Prince Hussein and his uncle Prince Hassan received the vaccine jab, according to a tweet by the royal palace.

Jordan kicked off its COVID-19 vaccinations on Wednesday with injections for health care workers, people with chronic illnesses and those over the age of 60.

It also suspended Fridays' blanket lockdown and ordered the gradual reopening of economic sectors.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Jordanian Health Minister Nathir Obeidat said that the situation has changed over the past weeks but hoped for further improvement following the national vaccination campaign.

Also, the Head of the Amman Chamber of Commerce Khalil Hajj Tawfiq hailed the recent decisions by the government, saying that it would alleviate the economic hardship that everyone is suffering from.

Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh had announced earlier easing restrictions on the mobility of citizens and the closed sectors.

Regarding education, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson Ali Al-Ayed said in-class attendance will start gradually in Feb for the second semester while abiding by precautionary measures and protocols set by the Ministry of Education.

Al-Ayed pointed out that new procedures include stopping the Visit Jordan platform for those arriving in the Kingdom by air who are only required to bring a PCR test with a negative result within 72 hours of the date of arrival, in addition to testing upon arrival at the airport, except for children.

He stressed that reopening sectors and easing procedures constantly depends mainly on the commitment of citizens and businesses to the necessary means of prevention from the pandemic.

Jordan has recorded 16 deaths and 1,075 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total number of infections since the beginning of the crisis to 312,043, while death toll has risen to 4,107.

The health ministry on Thursday noted that the total number of cases of a more contagious variant first identified in England had risen to 25, with most of the people who arrived in Jordan from abroad.

The government has said it hopes to vaccinate a quarter of the country’s 10 million inhabitants, and the jab would be given free of charge to Jordanians and foreign residents.



Jordan Says its Stance Against Displacement of Palestinians Remains ‘Firm’

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi speaks during a press conference in Amman, Jordan, January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi speaks during a press conference in Amman, Jordan, January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak
TT

Jordan Says its Stance Against Displacement of Palestinians Remains ‘Firm’

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi speaks during a press conference in Amman, Jordan, January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi speaks during a press conference in Amman, Jordan, January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak

Amman rejected on Sunday a suggestion by US President Donald Trump that Jordan and Egypt take more Palestinians from war-ravaged Gaza.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters that the country's stance against any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza remains "firm and unwavering.”

Trump, who took office on Jan. 20, said on Saturday after a call with Jordan's King Abdullah: "I said to him I'd love you to take on more because I'm looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now and it's a mess, it's a real mess. I'd like him to take people.”

"I'd like Egypt to take people," Trump told reporters.

Such a drastic displacement of people would openly contradict Palestinian identity and deep connection to Gaza. Still, Trump said the part of the world that encompasses Gaza, has “had many, many conflicts” over centuries. He said resettling “could be temporary or long term.”