World Bank provides cash aid for poor Jordanians

The World Bank says it will provide $374 million in cash support to 270,000 poor families in Jordan, including many who lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown. The bank announced the aid on Friday, saying it was co-financed by the U.K.'s international development agency. Jordan took strict measures to contain its outbreak, including a 24-hour curfew that was in effect for several days in March.

The World Bank says it will provide $374 million in cash support to 270,000 poor families in Jordan, including many who lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown. The bank announced the aid on Friday, saying it was co-financed by the U.K.'s international development agency.

Jordan took strict measures to contain its outbreak, including a 24-hour curfew that was in effect for several days in March. It has reported more than 1,000 cases but only nine fatalities. The lockdown came at an enormous cost. The country's vital tourism industry has been at a standstill since March, and many businesses that were forced to close three months ago have only been allowed to reopen in the last few weeks.

Jordan is a close Western ally that has long been seen as an island of stability in a turbulent region. It hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees from the conflict in neighboring Syria..