There were mass violations of coronavirus measures in Jordan last weekend after a relaxation of some rules, the country's health minister said.
On Thursday, authorities lifted most of the precautionary measures, citing what they described as a stabilisation of infection rates.
“Social distancing was not adhered to," said Health Minister Nazir Obeidat.
He said many individuals were congregating in violation of emergency laws.
A total curfew on Fridays that had been in place since November was lifted, but a curfew from midnight to 6am remains in place throughout the week.
Jordan's King Abdullah last week instructed officials to ease coronavirus measures.
Public parks and swimming schools were allowed to reopen and the government said pupils would be able to return to school next month, in classes of reduced sizes.
Thousands of people flocked to a flea market in downtown Amman on Friday, packing tightly around stalls and in front of bakeries and juice shops. Efforts by the police to separate the crowds made little difference.
"Sadly, it is obvious that levels of mask wearing were low in most regions of the kingdom. There was also not enough commitment to wearing the mask correctly," Mr Obeidat said.
Although the rate of increase in coronavirus infections lessened in the past weeks, Jordan is still "vulnerable to an increase in the spread of the virus", he added.
The minister said more cases of the mutated coronavirus strain first reported in Britain had been discovered after 25 were registered last week. He did not give additional details.
It is estimated that around 2 million out of Jordan's 10 million people have been infected with the virus.
Official testing data shows 313,000 infections and 4,317 deaths, mostly recorded since a surge in October that prompted authorities to impose a curfew in November.
Most businesses have remained open since the summer but schools have been closed since March.
Vaccinations started in Jordan last week. About 200,000 people have registered to take the vaccine, out of a 2 million government target. Jordan has a population of 10 million.
Mr Obeidat said unless there was stricter adherence to social distancing, the authorities could be forced to reimpose controls that "we all do not want".
The government blames coronavirus for a 3 per cent contraction in the economy last year, compared with 2 per cent growth in 2019.
Finance Minister Mohammad Al Ississ told Parliament on Sunday that an official forecast of 2.5 per cent GDP growth for 2021 depended on continued relaxation of the curfew and other measures.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
