Jordan is reopening to visitors from 22 countries

Jordan is reopening its borders to visitors from selected countries on 5 August, emerging from one of the strictest lockdowns in the Middle East. Its borders and international airports have been closed since March.

Similar to other destinations, Jordan is using a traffic light system of green, yellow and red to indicate which visitors will be able to enter the country without having to quarantine. At the initial opening, passengers from the ‘green’ countries of Austria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand will be allowed to visit from next week, though the list remains in flux and could change. The list of countries is determined by the Health Ministry and will be updated every two weeks.

Jordan will lift visiting restrictions on August 5 for some countries © arnie700/Budget Travel

Because of Jordan’s swift lockdown, it has seen the fewest coronavirus cases in the region, with just 11 deaths and 185 currently active cases, and this means the entry requirements are strict. Passengers are required to take a PCR swab test 72 hours before their flight to Jordan and another test on arrival.  The Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission has said that the second test could be scrapped if all goes well during the first week of reopening.

Commoners tombs, Petra: visitor restrictions on domestic tourism sites were lifted in June © marmat1711/Budget Travel

Restrictions on domestic tourism to sites across the country, including the ancient city of Petra, were lifted in June. Masks are mandatory, and visitors must adhere to distancing guidelines. Tourism makes up nearly 15% of Jordan’s GDP, employing about 100,000 people. The country saw 5.3 million visitors last year, a record high.