On Thursday, the US government advised its citizens not to travel to Jordan, citing the increased risk of Covid-19.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – April 23, 2021 – Tourism and Travel
The decision is part of a major expansion of travel restrictions around the world by Washington as a result of the pandemic. But it undermines efforts by Jordan, which has a deep alliance with Washington, to revive its tourism sector.
Jordanian officials lifted most of the restrictions imposed on the entry of the virus into the country late last year, after initially imposing strict entry restrictions and quarantines for arrivals.
An internal State Department mail said that the US government is now “advising against travel to Jordan at this time due to the COVID-19 outbreak”.
The email, dated Thursday, stated that the travel warning for Jordan has been raised from the third level, “Reconsidering Travel”, to the fourth level, “Do not travel.”
The “Jordanian Travel Advice” has also been updated on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
It also lists several areas in which American citizens who are already in Jordan are advised not to visit them due to terrorism and crime.
The increase in deaths and infections with the Coronavirus in Jordan has prompted the authorities to increase curfews and further restrict working hours in the past two months.
The authorities have also tightened penalties for violations of the virus measures.
The country has been in recession since last year, and unemployment has officially hit a record high of 25 percent. Many tourism-related jobs have been lost, with tourist numbers falling sharply since the start of the pandemic.
On Monday, the Foreign Ministry said it would raise its highest advisory rating to cover about 80 percent of countries, due to the spread of the epidemic.
The ministry added 116 countries this week to the fourth level of the travel warning.
Among them in the Middle East are Egypt, Turkey, and Palestine.
Several European countries are also on the Tier 4 list, including Britain, Germany, and Switzerland.
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Source: Ukrgate