Jordan Reopening Its Borders To 22 Selected Countries
After a swift lockdown at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan is opening up to international visitors from select countries from August 5.
Jordan was swift to lockdown at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, the Middle Eastern country has suffered the fewest coronavirus cases in that region. Only 11 people died from the virus, while there are currently 185 active cases. The country is famous for the ancient city of Petra and opene3d up to domestic tourism in June. Jordan is now planning to open up to international tourism from 22 select countries starting from August 5, with certain conditions.
Petra and the Wadi Rum National Park
The ancient city of Petra has been a major draw for tourists for many years. In fact, tourism makes up almost 15 percent of Jordan’s GDP. The tourism industry employs around 100,000 people and last year, Jordan saw 5.3 million visitors. Obviously, with the COVID-19 pandemic, no one has been visiting this exciting location.
As pictured here, Petra is an archaeological site in the southwestern desert of Jordan. The site is said to date back to around 300 B.C. and was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom. Petra is accessed through a narrow canyon, named Al Siq, and features temples and tombs carved into the solid, pink sandstone cliffs. This earned the site the nickname the Rose City. One of the most famous structures in Petra is the 138-ft high Al Khazneh. This is a temple sporting an ornate, Grecian-style façade, and is also known by locals as The Treasury.
Another major draw for “Star Wars” fans is the desert landscape of Wadi Rum National Park. This location was used in “The Rise of Skywalker” and “Rogue One.”
Domestic tourism is open with international coming soon
From March this year, the borders and airports were firmly closed. However, domestic tourism started up again in June, including Petra and Wadi Rum. Once tourism started up, masks were made mandatory and social distancing guidelines were released to keep visitors safe.
When international tourism opens up again on August 5, more safety protocols will be in place. These include passengers being required to take a PCR swap test 72 hours prior to flying to Jordan. Initially, they will be required to take a second test on arrival in Jordan. However, the Civil Aviation Regularly Commission advises that if all goes well in the first week of reopening to tourists, this second test could be scrapped.
Having reemerged following one of the strictest lockdowns in the Middle East, officials are confident things will go well once borders are open to 22 select countries. As with several countries, Jordan is utilizing a traffic light system of green, yellow, and red to mark visitors who will be able to enter the country without the need of a quarantine.
The initial list of countries in the “green” category for entering Jordan are Austria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand.
Notably not on the list, so far, is the U.S. and U.K., both of which countries continue to suffer high numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths. However, the list is fluid and could change soon. The selected countries have been determined by Jordan’s Health Ministry and the list is set to update every two weeks. Keep watching out for your country to reach the green list, allowing you to visit Jordan’s magical archaeological treasures.
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