Ammon News -

Defense Order 21 has been issued following Judicial Sector Steering Committee's recommendations that has been formed to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Justice, Bassam Talhouni, and Secretary-General of the Judicial Council, Walid Kanakriya, iterated in a press conference in Amman Monday that litigation has not been affected by the defense order and that it merely sought to reduce the registrar procedures in courts, highlighting that the defense order helped to slash them by 70 percent.

People have submitted applications for some 268,000 non-criminal records and transferred JOD 155 million using the Ministry of Justice electronic platform, Talhouni said, adding that the Ministry's services have not stopped and its electronic infrastructure is not weak. He emphasized that it is time to use it due to the complexities posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Talhouni and Kanakriya highlighted that the decision to issue Defense Order 21 came following the death of a judge from COVID-19, and after up to 600 employees in courts had tested positive for the lung disease. They said that the temporary Order saved time and effort and utilized the 43 available electronic services.