I write this from the confines of my 3rd floor apartment overlooking what is normally one of Amman’s busiest entertainment avenues, Rainbow Street. It’s usually bustling with young Jordanians and families, as well as foreigners hoping to improve their Arabic skills in one of the few places left in the Middle East unscathed by Arab Spring violence. Throngs usually pack the sidewalks in search of tasty burgers, falafel or fatatri, an Egyptian confection of thin dough encasing something savory or sweet. There are shisha bars where excited sports fans watch the latest match on the big screen. Sometimes a street musician strums his guitar as a refugee offers to design a washable tattoo on your hand.But the colorful crowds are gone. Instead, the silence is punctuated by the occasional blare of sirens. I can see a convey of vehicles, including an ambulance and military humvee, rolling down the cobblestone street. They are warning people to remain in their houses. Don’t step out unless it is an absolute emergency, otherwise you risk being arrested by the police and imprisoned for one year. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
FILE – A policeman speaks to a driver of a car at a checkpoint during a nationawide coronavirus curfew, in the Jordanian capital Amman, March 21, 2020.Jordan’s King Abdullah has been chairing meetings via teleconference with officials to follow up on the measures taken to counter the COVID-19 pandemic and to discuss best practices with regional and world leaders. He has ensured that people’s basic needs will be covered while battling the disease. Meanwhile, Queen Rania, a social media pro, has been sharing a photo of the Jordan map on her Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts, saying, “Stay home, so our Jordan would stay safe.”Despite the arrests, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz has praised the high level of public compliance with the nationwide curfew. He said the government is working out how to deliver basic commodities and medicine to people in the coming period.Razzaz has assured us that staple foods and oil reserves are available to meet everyone’s needs. Remote learning has also begun through the Ministry of Education’s e-learning platform, Darsak, and three dedicated channels on Jordan Television.In the meanwhile, I’ve been wondering how to get rid of rubbish, normally dropped off in designated dumpsters in the street, without risking arrest. A friend sent a funny video to me of a Jordanian pretending to be barreling down the street as if in a soccer match and throwing the garbage bag in the bin like a pro-basketball player. I’m not sure I can pull that one off!
…