JCC urges resumption of work in shutdown sectors

AMMAN — Sectors in which work has been suspended since the outbreak of the pandemic must be reopened adhering to COVID protocols set by the National Epidemiological Committee, a member of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) said on Saturday.

Food Sector Representative at the JCC Raed Hamada said in a statement that service and commercial businesses are “all integrated together and complement each other”, and the suspension of work in a certain sector affects the overall commercial activity. 

Hamada urged the government to resume work in the shutdown sectors, reduce the curfew hours and cancel the lockdowns on Fridays. 

“There needs to be a clear timeline of when these sectors will go back to work”, Hamada said, noting that, otherwise, their investments and jobs will be lost.

The sectors that most notably suffered “grave losses” include wedding and event halls as well as fitness centres, Hamada said, noting that their facilities are either under the threat of shutting down or already went bankrupt. 

The JCC and the concerned entities ought to collaborate, working on protocols that allow the sectors to resume their work in accordance with the safety measures to preserve the national economy and overcome the hurdles and challenges of last year, Hamada noted. 

Hamada cited Jordanian investors abroad saying the sectors that that have been shut down in Jordan are still operating under certain standards and restrictions in other countries. The food sector representative noted that it is important to learn from these experiences. 

According to a 2019 study conducted by the JCC and shared with The Jordan Times, the Kingdom’s fitness sector comprises more than 2,867 sports centres and academies, employing 26,276 persons and contributing to some 1.3 per cent of GDP.

There are also 1,200 wedding halls in Jordan and more than 10,000 establishments associated with the sector, according to the Amman Chamber of Commerce.