Jaber crossing with Syria to be closed over virus concerns

AMMAN — Citing concerns over becoming a coronavirus hotspot, the government on Wednesday decided to close the  Jaber border crossing with Syria for one week as of Thursday.

The decision was announced on Wednesday during a ministerial meeting during which Interior Minister Salameh Hammad said that the decision to close the border crossing with Syria was taken upon a recommendation from health authorities. 

The country saw a rise in the number of locally transmitted coronavirus cases with almost all of them were registered at the northern border crossing with Syria, which is reported to have large number of COVID-19 cases.

Presiding over the meeting, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Omar Razzaz directed the concerned authorities to improve preventive measures at the Omari border crossing with Saudi Arabia and the Karameh border crossing with Iraq.

Razzaz expressed concerns over the rise in the number of local infections, vowing immediate measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.   

 The committee, during the meeting, also tasked Health Minister Saad Jaber, in cooperation with the related bodies, to take all necessary measures to put all workers at the Jaber border crossing under quarantine, a move tied to an increasing number of infections reported among the staff at the border crossing.

The committee also highlighted the importance of speeding up clearance procedures for goods at the centre before its closure, the Jordan news Agency, Petra, reported.

The health minister also said that employees at the border crossings undergo COVID-19 tests every two weeks, adding that more strict measures will be applied at the border crossings and elsewhere to curb the spread of the virus.