Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Government has decided to extend a COVID-19-prompted work stoppage until the end of the holy month of Ramadan (now in its second third day), State Minister for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh announced on Sunday.

Speaking at a daily press briefing at the National Center for Security and Crisis Management, Adaileh said the decision excludes key government entities which will be operated by no more than 30 percent of its staff or 50 percent when necessary.

Also, key private sector entities are not included in the decision, particularly banks and hospitals, the minister added. According to Adaileh, the Cabinet decided that the state's treasury will bear the interest on loans or part thereof extended to COVID-19-impacted small and medium enterprises to finance their payrolls.

Adaileh, who is also the government spokesperson, said the public transport sector will be allowed to reopen at 50 percent of its operational capacity as of Wednesday across the Kingdom to accommodate the needs of sectors allowed to operate at the current stage.

The minister warned that entities which fail to observe public safety and health guidelines will be shut down, saying violations to safety measures pose a grave danger to public health and will not be tolerated.