Nayrouz News Agency : Statements by a National Anti-Pandemic Committee member on ongoing studies to gradually resume pubic transport operations in Jordan have drawn mixed reactions on social media platforms.

National Anti-Pandemic Committee member Azmi Mahafzah made his remarks during a programme on Almamlaka TV on Saturday, during which he said that the committee is having an ongoing discussion on safety conditions related to public transport with the aim of restarting work in the sector for the sake of employees who will be going back to their jobs in the upcoming period.

Facebook user Husain Alkabale suggested making payment through tickets that people can get at normal stores and having one person only sit in each seat.

He also suggested disinfecting vehicles each time they reach their final destination and providing hand sanitisers for passengers to use when getting on and off buses.

While many considered running public transport a problem that could contribute to the spread of the coronavirus, especially if buses get crowded, many daily wage workers on the other hand said that the process needs to be done following safety standards in order for them to resume their work and earn income again.

While Salah Mayyas commented: "The government needs to slow down when taking such decisions, which might end up erasing all previous efforts,” Almukhtar Z Majali for his part said: "… Daily wage workers like us have nothing to lean back on and still have to pay tuition fees, loans and bills,” suggesting that bringing back public transport is necessary.

Mahmoud Alajarmeh wrote: "We know conditions are very difficult, and many need to work. However, my personal opinion is that we need to just hang on a little longer to finish off the bigger portion of this crisis. I am a daily wage worker and I am impacted by this pandemic just like everybody else, I hope it gets better for everyone.”

Among various sectors, public transportation has been halted since mid-March as part of the measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Another social media user Zahra, commented: "I really hope they’ll be back; my husband works in public transport and we are facing very difficult conditions.”