Rabat – Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport said that it is taking strict measures like multiple other airports and ports in other countries to detect any sign of the coronavirus among travelers coming from China.
Health authorities launched tightened anti-virus measures upon the arrival of a flight from Beijing on Tuesday evening.
The measures are part of the Ministry of Health’s national plan to “monitor and proactively respond to all public health threats,” Mohamed Moussif, chief medical officer of Mohammed V Airport told the press.
The plan consists of several stages, one of which starts even before fights from coronavirus-affected areas land at the airport.
The step focuses on isolating suspected cases by flight crews. The crew then informs the control tower of any suspected cases.
In the second stage, airport officials designate a parking area away from other aircraft to prevent passengers of different flights from mingling.
During the third phase, passengers that could have the virus in its incubation period fill out forms from the medical service, enabling the Ministry of Health to monitor them until the incubation phase expires.
“In a suspicious case, the passenger would be taken to an isolation room where he or she would be examined by a specialist doctor,” Moussif added.
If a case is confirmed, authorities would take the person case to an emergency unit.
Four health units equipped with modern diagnostic equipment have been prepared at the airport’s three terminals.
Passengers from China lauded the efforts from the Moroccan authorities. Videos went viral online showing Moroccan students arriving in the airport. Students, especially those struck in Wuhan temporarily because of China’s shutdown of the city asked the Moroccan government to bring them back in Morocco.
King Mohammed VI ordered the repatriation of the 100 Moroccan nationals, mainly students, who were in Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus in China.
The Chinese government announced that the death toll due to the virus increased to 132 by the end of Tuesday. The total number of coronavirus cases globally is estimated at 5,974 by the end of Tuesday.
