Rabat – Moroccans and people residing in Morocco will have to set their clocks back to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on Sunday, April 11 at 3 a.m.
The country will suspend Daylight Savings Time exclusively for Ramadan.
Astronomical calculations predict the holy month will begin on April 14 in Morocco.
The Moroccan government is yet to confirm the starting date of Ramadan, awaiting observers from the Islamic Affairs Ministry to observe the crescent moon to signal the month’s arrival.
The time change comes in accordance with the Decree N 2-12-126 issued on Jumada I, 1433 (April 18, 2012).
Morocco will go back to the GMT+1 again a week after Ramadan.
The GMT+1 decision to change clocks by one hour, also known as Daylight Savings Time (DST), previously took place every summer.
Morocco now adopts GMT+1 permanently.
The decision for permanence caused an uproar among citizens, who condemned the government’s lack of consultations on such issues with the public.
In June 2019, the Moroccan government issued a 24-page study about the positive impact of the decision.
During Ramadan 2021, Moroccans will not be able to leave their homes from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., under a night curfew the government announced for the holy month.
On Wednesday, the government said it will maintain the night curfew it extended for two weeks on March 29 through Ramadan.
The measure seeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and its variants, the government argued.
