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Rabat – Amid fears that most African countries are not prepared to deal with the novel coronavirus, Morocco is availing its experience and “human resources” to help the continent deal with risks of importing the the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Morocco’s Health Minister Khalid Ait Taleb, who is leading the Moroccan delegation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as they take part in an extraordinary session of AU ministers on the COVID-19 emergency, said that the North African country is poised to “share its expertise and experience” with fellow, less equipped African countries as the continent takes measures to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
In his speech at the AU emergency meeting on COVID-19 , the Moroccan minister explained the “effective measures” that Rabat has deployed since the outbreak of the virus in Wuhan, central China. He said that the worldwide emergency around the virus means African countries should work together to face the crisis continentally.
Taleb made his comments on the heels of encouraging news for Morocco’s efforts to prevent the spread of the novel virus.
On February 2, a plane of Morocco’s air carrier Royal Air Maroc carrying the Moroccan nationals landed at the Benslimane Airport, near Casablanca, with 167 passengers on board. The repatriation operation came after direct instructions from King Mohammed VI.
All 167 of the repatriated Moroccans were released from the designated health facilities earlier this morning, after their 20-day quarantine period ended with none of them showing any symptoms of the novel coronavirus.
Meanwhile, not many African countries are as prepared. Most do not either have the adequate facilities or the trained personnel to deal with the Corona crisis should suspect cases emerge, according to a recent study on Africa’s preparedness to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
The study’s author, Dr Vittoria Colizza, of France’s Sorbonne university, said that while “African countries have recently strengthened their preparedness to manage importations of COVID-19 cases… some countries remain ill-equipped.”
The study also pointed out that the continent is “at high risk,”especially given its high volume of travel and trade with China.
