Jordan plans to extend curfew as COVID-19 cases hit near record

FILE PHOTO: A civil defense personnel checks the temperature of worshippers ahead of the Friday prayers outside al-Husseini mosque, as Jordan announced stricter measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Amman, Jordan February 26, 2021. REUTERS/Muath Freij

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan is planning new restrictions including extending a night curfew and closing some businesses, the government said on Monday, after it posted a near record one-day tally of coronavirus cases, driven by a more contagious variant.

The Health Ministry reported 7,413 new cases and 52 deaths on Monday, taking the total number of infections in the country of 10 million people to 435,130, with the death toll at 4,987.