AMMAN — Social media platforms were abuzz with comments prompted by
official statements regarding the holding of concerts in Jordan, most of them negative
and critical of the indecisiveness shown by the government in taking measures
to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.
اضافة اعلان
According to various media outlets, Amman Governor Yasser
Al-Adwan said on Friday that no concert will be held in the Kingdom until
further notice and cancelled all previously given approvals for such events.
Also on Friday, Minister of Interior Mazen Al-Faraya said that concerts
and festivals that had been already approved can proceed as planned, thus
cancelling the decision taken by the governor who acknowledged that any measure
he may take has to be approved by the minister of interior.
Official Ministry of Interior Spokesman Farouq Momani told
Jordan
News that only the ministry has the right to sanction a decision after a
thorough appraisal of the situation, in order “to safeguard the interest of the
Kingdom and its citizens.”
The former minister of political development, Nofan Al-Ajarmeh, said
defense orders are administrative decisions that can only be changed by the
authority that issued them or by a higher authority, and as such, “the decision
issued by the minister annulling the governor’s decree] is legal.”
Minister of State for Media Affairs, the official government spokesperson,
Faisal Al-Shboul reinforced the minister of interior’s ruling, stressing that “the
government is not going to ban concerts in Jordan” because they comply with the
defense orders.
At the same time, Shboul urged concert and festival organizers to ensure
that the audience adheres to the health protocols set by the government, which entail
the obligation to “wear masks, be vaccinated and respect physical distancing”.
Stressing the importance of getting vaccinated to prevent the spread of
coronavirus, the minister said that some countries took serious measures
against unvaccinated people and that while “Jordan has not obliged citizens to
take the vaccine, yet, they have to do it for their own safety”.
As of January 1, 2022, Shboul said, citizens will need to have taken the
two doses of vaccine to enter any establishment and “PCR tests will not be
approved, but for those who prove that they cannot take the vaccine due to
certain conditions.
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