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)
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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.



Egypt to Enhance Cooperation with Türkiye in Transport Sector

Egyptian Industry and Transport Minister Kamel el Wazir at the 2025 Global Connectivity in Transport Forum in Istanbul (Transport Ministry) 
Egyptian Industry and Transport Minister Kamel el Wazir at the 2025 Global Connectivity in Transport Forum in Istanbul (Transport Ministry) 
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Egypt to Enhance Cooperation with Türkiye in Transport Sector

Egyptian Industry and Transport Minister Kamel el Wazir at the 2025 Global Connectivity in Transport Forum in Istanbul (Transport Ministry) 
Egyptian Industry and Transport Minister Kamel el Wazir at the 2025 Global Connectivity in Transport Forum in Istanbul (Transport Ministry) 

Egypt hopes to strengthen its partnerships with Türkiye across maritime, land, rail, and air transport to establish efficient trade and navigation corridors linking Asia, Africa, and Europe, thereby facilitating the movement of goods and people.

Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Industry and Transport Minister, Kamel el Wazir, affirmed on Saturday that Egyptian-Turkish cooperation can play a pivotal role in advancing development across Africa.

“This can be achieved via joint projects such as port development, the establishment of cross-border railway lines and the launch of new logistics corridors to boost intra-African trade and open new markets for the continent’s products,” Wazir said.

Speaking at the 2025 Global Connectivity in Transport Forum held in Istanbul, the Minister said, “Egypt is working to realize a leap in its transportation sector through a national strategy aiming to have smart and sustainable transport, boost infrastructure, and promote regional-international connectivity.”

Egypt is considered Türkiye’s number one trading partner in Africa. Turkish Ambassador to Egypt Salih Mutlu Sen earlier said the volume of new Turkish investments in the Egyptian market reached $500 million this year.

Head of the Egyptian-Turkish Business Council Adel el-Lami said strategic relations between both countries are moving at a stronger pace than they were before 2013 with the increase of Turkish investments in various fields in Egypt, offering more than 180,000 direct and indirect job opportunities.

El-Lami told Asharq Al-Awsat that part of the cooperation mechanisms is related to the implementation of strategic partnerships in maritime transport through increasing the number of containers on shipping lines that connect the two countries and pass through the Suez Canal.

Also, cooperation between both countries is linked to enhancing agreements in several sectors at the governmental and private levels.

“Both countries need to work on removing remaining barriers to trade to further enhance economic cooperation,” he said.

During the visit of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to Türkiye last September, the two countries signed several agreements to boost commercial ties and cooperate on several sectors.

“There are multiple areas of partnership in the field of maritime transportation between Egypt and Türkiye,” said Professor Mohammed Ali Ibrahim, Director of the School of Transportation and Logistics at the University of Istanbul.

Ibrahim told Asharq Al-Awsat that Egypt can gradually transform into a “transit” for Turkish trade heading to the African market.

“This lines with the Egyptian plan to transform the country into a regional export hub,” he said.