Author(s): Hadeel Abdellatif
Indisputably, the COVID-19 crisis has reshaped every aspect of our lives. It has dramatically changed our daily activities and our lifestyles. Governments worldwide have implemented various restrictive procedures to mitigate the impact of this crisis. However, as the epidemiological situation improved, they started to ease the restrictions, adapt to the new changes caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 and re-open sectors. This study explores how the Jordanian government survived the COVID-19 crisis. The Jordanian government managed to control the crisis rapidly by implementing early strict intervention measures followed by easing and re-opening measures. However, those easing measures have been reluctant swaying between on and off. This has created a state of confusion and frustration for the public and resulted in a lack of trust in the government’s decisions. Therefore, almost two years from the start of the crisis, things do not seem as bright as then. Thus, the lesson learned from the Jordanian case is that the key to successful crisis management is the trade-off between governance capacity and governance legitimacy.