Jordan to Lift COVID Restrictions on International Visitors

Tourists gather in front of the treasury site in the ancient city of Petra, Jordan July 2, 2021. REUTERS/Muath Freij
Tourists gather in front of the treasury site in the ancient city of Petra, Jordan July 2, 2021. REUTERS/Muath Freij
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Jordan to Lift COVID Restrictions on International Visitors

Tourists gather in front of the treasury site in the ancient city of Petra, Jordan July 2, 2021. REUTERS/Muath Freij
Tourists gather in front of the treasury site in the ancient city of Petra, Jordan July 2, 2021. REUTERS/Muath Freij

Jordan on Thursday said it was easing coronavirus-related restrictions on foreign visitors.

Jordan's Tourism Board said that as of March 1, visitors would no longer be required to take a PCR test before entering the country or take another PCR test upon arrival at airports and other entry points.

Visitors will still have to sign a pledge to get tested if they feel coronavirus symptoms and agree to self-isolate if they contract COVID-19.

“We hope the relaxing of previous restrictions will help once again the recovery of tourism to the kingdom and ease access for travelers planning their trips to Jordan,” said Abed Al-Razzaq Arabiyat, the tourism board's managing director.



Israeli Military: 5 Soldiers Killed in Combat in South Lebanon

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept rockets that were launched from Lebanon, as seen from Haifa, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept rockets that were launched from Lebanon, as seen from Haifa, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
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Israeli Military: 5 Soldiers Killed in Combat in South Lebanon

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept rockets that were launched from Lebanon, as seen from Haifa, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept rockets that were launched from Lebanon, as seen from Haifa, northern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Five Israeli soldiers were killed and 16 others wounded in combat in southern Lebanon in recent weeks, the Israeli military said in a statement on Thursday.

Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem said in a speech aired Wednesday that the Lebanese group is open for ceasefire negotiations only once “the enemy stops its aggression.”

His speech marked the 40-day mourning period since former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in Beirut.

Hezbollah began firing into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Since the conflict erupted, more than 3,000 people have been killed and some 13,600 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported.