Skip to main content

Jordan left with struggling economy following lockdown

The Jordanian economy has been dealt a heavy blow by the measures imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus and now that the lockdown has been lifted, the government is looking into ways to get business going again and mitigate the damage.
A man wearing a protective face mask walks next to closed shops as the country takes measures to fight the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Amman, Jordan, March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RC2FMF95PIXF

As Jordan began to relax its coronavirus measures April 27 by lifting the total lockdown, opening up most businesses and allowing citizens to use their private vehicles during the day, the government's focus has shifted to reviving an economy that underwent more than 40 days of shutdown. So successful have been the government's health measures that the kingdom registered zero new cases in the first four days of May. By May 4, its total cases stood at 471 with only nine deaths. 

On May 3, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri announced that all economic sectors in the kingdom will open as of May 6 and “will be permitted to work at full production capacity provided that the percentage of Jordanian employment in the establishment does not fall below 75%.” Having imposed the toughest lockdown in the region, Jordan is among the first Arab countries to ease restrictions in an attempt to reignite the economy.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.