Morocco is going through its worst moments of contagion of covid-19

Morocco is going through its worst moment in number of deaths and infections since the first case of covid-19 was confirmed on March 2.

And this despite the fact that this year the Government renounced Operation Paso del Estrecho and the millions of euros that the more than three million Moroccans who visit the country every summer usually contribute.

Maritime and air connections continue to be restricted and the Ceuta and Melilla border crossings have been closed since March.

Despite all this, the contagion figures have skyrocketed since the start of the de-escalation, on June 10.

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The country already suffered a black week at the end of July in which the barrier of 1,000 daily infections was exceeded for the first time and four infection records were broken in those seven days.

Last Sunday, September 6, Morocco for the first time exceeded the barrier of 2,000 infected daily (registered 2,234).

Three days later it reached 2,157;

on Thursday, September 10, he broke another record with 2,430 infections.

And on Saturday, 2,238 people were infected in a single day.

That day 1,553 confirmed deaths were added over six months.

The authorities are receiving much criticism because of the management.

Last Sunday night, the authorities announced that as of noon on Monday, September 7, it would only be possible to enter and leave Casablanca - the most populated city in the country, with 3.3 million inhabitants - with exceptional authorization, and that during the following 14 days the schools would remain closed.

Many parents expressed their outrage on social media at finding out just a few hours before a news story that would affect so many families.

In addition, the markets would close at 3:00 p.m., cafes and shops at 8:00 p.m. and early morning trips were prohibited in the city.

Criticism of the authorities did not wait.

The satirical writer Réda Allali, alias

, wrote in the weekly

: “We must be the object of some experiment.

Somewhere there must be someone who watches us, who takes notes and draws conclusions about what a human being can suffer before falling into dementia.

Let us remember that each extension of the confinement was announced just on the eve of her execution, around midnight.

(…) Yes, there is something more dangerous than the covid itself: the management of the covid ”.

At the same time that the health situation is worse than ever, the country also needs more than ever the presence of tourists and foreign exchange.

For this reason, while the details about the isolation of Casablanca were known, the authorities announced that from this September 10, foreign tourists who present their hotel reservation would be allowed to enter.

An image went viral last week in Morocco.

In the popular neighborhood of Takadúm the authorities had placed a metal barrier to confine an area.

In a video it was seen how the adults stretched out on the ground to get around the fence and go to daily work in the city center.

The need to eat exceeded all preventive sanitary precautions.

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The country stoically endured draconian lockdown measures that depleted the economy, but maintained very low levels of infections and deaths.

Since the disarray, the Government has been accused of not being transparent and of improvising measures.

In the streets of Rabat the situation is paradoxical.

On the one hand, almost all citizens wear their masks inside their cars, even if they drive alone.

Car lanes are usually heavily guarded by the police.

However, where there are no police, it is common to see pedestrians who wear the mask at the level of the chin, without covering their mouth or nose.

It is as if the message that wearing masks saves lives has not reached an important layer of the population.

King Mohamed VI issued a speech on August 20 in which he warned that a "high proportion of people" do not respect preventive health measures.

He recalled that the State has encouraged the manufacture of masks in the country and had subsidized the price.

“Here is a behavior devoid of all patriotic zeal and the least sense of solidarity.

(…) Such behavior is also opposed to the efforts made by the State, which, thank God, has managed to help many families who have lost their source of income.

However, this aid cannot last indefinitely, since, in terms of means and possibilities, the State has given more than it has ”.

The monarch described a panorama without euphemism: "The deterioration of the health situation we have reached is deplorable and does not inspire optimism, and whoever tries to hide this reality, dear people, will be lying to you."

He clarified that, after the lack of refinement, the number of confirmed cases was multiplied by more than three.

And the same happened with serious cases and deaths.

"If the increase in these figures continues," he warned, "the Covid-19 scientific commission could recommend a return to a new period of confinement, which could even be more rigorous."

"If by necessity", concluded the king, "this difficult decision were to be made, God forbid, it will have harsh consequences on the lives of citizens and on the socioeconomic situation."

The monarch ended by clarifying that his message was not a reproach to the people but a "direct" way of transmitting his fear that the number of infected and deceased would continue to increase.

"God forbid, [the increase] would force us to return to a global confinement, with all that it implies as psychological, social and economic effects."

That August 20 there were 14,057 active cases of infection.

On Saturday, September 12, there were already 17,015.

Last week, when the 2,000 daily contagion barrier was crossed up to four times, the country extended the state of health emergency for the sixth time.

Until October 10.

Information about the coronavirus

- Here you can follow the last hour on the evolution of the pandemic

- This is how the coronavirus curve evolves in Spain and in each autonomy

- Download the tracking application for Spain

- Search engine: The new normal by municipalities

- Guide to action against the disease