Morocco is facing an increase in infections with the new coronavirus, with more than 1,000 cases recorded daily for a few days, the World Health Organization (WHO) warning Thursday against this "increasing trend".
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On Wednesday, a record 1,499 contaminations, including 23 deaths, were officially recorded in this country of 35 million inhabitants, against a few dozen on average at the start of the pandemic. And if the kingdom reported Thursday a significant drop in cases (1,241), a record of 28 deaths was however recorded. "The trend is on the rise, both in the number of cases and in deaths," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday during a videoconference from Geneva. "Morocco should do more, especially to reverse the upward trend we are currently seeing," he added.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Health decided that “rapid” serological tests would now be carried out in neighborhood dispensaries, in order to increase screening, according to the information site Médias 24. The same day, two new care units for infected people were inaugurated in Casablanca (west) and Tangier (north), two of the most affected Moroccan cities.
Closed borders
Since the census of the first case of Covid-19 in early March in Morocco, 37,935 cases of contamination, including 584 deaths, have been officially detected in this country long seen as relatively spared from the pandemic. The state of health emergency, in force since mid-March, was extended until September 10, while Rabat began to ease restrictive measures in June with the reopening of cafes, restaurants and shops.
But faced with the increase in contaminations following the start of deconfinement, described as "worrying" by Moroccan media, the authorities imposed travel restrictions to and from eight cities, and closed neighborhoods with homes, especially in Casablanca, the economic capital, Tangier and Fez.
The Moroccan government has also recently adopted a draft decree establishing a fine of 300 dirhams (27 euros) in the event of "non-compliance with social distancing" and non-wearing of a mask. The borders remain closed "until further notice", plunging the vital tourism sector into an unprecedented crisis.