Jordan said on Monday that all restaurants will be closed as of Tuesday and it may impose the defense law to give authorities more power to combat the spread of COVID-19, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
In a press conference in Amman, Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said the number of the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Jordan has reached 20.
He added that the government may find itself in a position to implement the defense law, which is a special law adopted only at times of emergencies. The law grants the government the authority to restrict public gatherings and citizens' movements and arrest anyone suspected of undermining national security.
The minister added that Jordan started imposing compulsory quarantine on all passengers arriving in the country and that the quarantined people have been put in five- and four-star hotels in Amman and the Dead Sea area.
The government, he said, will provide them with all their basic needs at no expense.