Nayrouz News Agency : Certain industrial sectors will be permitted to resume work with a maximum of 40 per cent of their employees in two shifts, with 20 per cent of employees covering each shift, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri announced on Thursday.

Speaking during a briefing broadcast live from the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management, Hammouri said that these new factories will resume work in coordination with the National Epidemiological Committee and other stakeholders after receiving the necessary permits through a related mechanism and pledging to adopt public safety and health procedures. 

Ministry personnel will carry out inspection campaigns on these facilities, he said, and if they detect any violations, factories will be closed and those responsible will be referred to specialised authorities.

The minister added that more commercial sectors will also be opened gradually following coordination with stakeholders and according to developments in the coronavirus pandemic.

Regarding the decision to suspend exports and re-exports of food items, he said that the step aims at allowing the ministry to assess the Kingdom’s reserves of these commodities.

The ministry will permit the resumption of the export process after ensuring that the country has sufficient reserves, he added, stressing the government’s keenness to encourage the export of local products after assessing these reserves.

As for the meetings of general assemblies and boards of directors of public, private and limited liability shareholding companies, these meetings will be delayed until further notice, while such companies can hold teleconference meetings, the minister noted.

In this regard, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply on Thursday issued procedures to organise the teleconference meetings of boards of directors and general assemblies of private and public joint-stock companies, along with limited liability companies.

These measures are based on Defence order No. 5 for 2020, issued in accordance with the provisions of Defence Law No. 13 of 1992, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.