Middle East and North Africa

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• Natural disasters
• General
 

Travel Summary

• There are confirmed human cases of A (H1N1) swine flu in Jordan, including one death (Department of Health). The World Health Organisation (WHO) pandemic threat alert phase has been raised to Level 6. The WHO website has further details. You should monitor local media reports for any further developments and advice. There is a dedicated swine flu page on the FCO website. Guidance on pandemic flu is available on the UK Department of Health website. The Jordanian authorities have taken precautionary measures including establishing a hotline for information about swine flu which you can contact on +962 79 903 6023. They have also designated 19 health institutions across the Kingdom to receive suspected cases, and have installed thermal scanning cameras at Queen Alia International Airport and border crossings to gauge the temperatures of people entering the country. Jordanian Ministry of Health guidelines state that those infected with A (H1N1) and suffering from respiratory disease will be admitted to hospital and receive anti-viral treatment. Infected people in high risk categories, including children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic diseases will be treated at home and only admitted to hospital if they develop complications. British nationals with confirmed A (H1N1) infection in Jordan alert the British Embassy on 00962 6 5909200.
  
  
• There remains a general threat from terrorism in Jordan. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
  
  
• There have been a number of successful and attempted terrorist attacks in Jordan since 2001. On 4 September 2006, a shooting incident in downtown Amman left one British national dead and a number of other tourists injured. On 9 November 2005, three suicide bombers killed 60 people and injured almost 100 in hotels in Amman. There were no British casualties amongst these. The Jordanian security forces continue to remain on a state of alert.
  
  
• Developments in the region may trigger public unrest. You should take care to avoid demonstrations, which can turn hostile, and be particularly vigilant in public places.
  

• The tension in the region remains high in light of the Israeli military action in Gaza which ended in January 2009. There is no specific risk for the safety of British visitors and residents in Jordan but they should be aware of popular feelings and be alert to developments.
  

• If you are planning to travel to Jordan, you should be careful about, and confident of, your personal security arrangements throughout your visit. Although levels of crime are generally low, women, in particular, should be careful to avoid situations where they might become victims of sexual assault. There were three reported incidents in September/October 2007. See the crime section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• On 16 July 2008, at the end of a concert in the Amman Roman Amphitheatre, four Lebanese musicians and an Israeli Arab woman were shot and wounded by a lone gunman as they boarded a bus.
  
  
• You should take extra care at the borders with Israel and Iraq. You should take particular care when using Jordanian service taxis to cross into neighbouring countries.
  
  
• Most visits to Jordan are trouble-free . 13 British nationals required consular assistance in Jordan in the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident: deaths (4 cases), hospitalisations (2 cases), and arrests, for a variety of offences (3 cases). During this p eriod assistanc e was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (15 cases).
  
  
• We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. See the general (insurance) section of this advice and travel insurance for more details.