Morocco Cancels Dakhla’s Crans Montana Forum Due to Coronavirus Fears

Rabat – The organizers of the Crans Montana Forum have canceled this year’s gathering due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The event was scheduled for March 18 to 21.

The Crans Montana Forum is an annual gathering in Dakhla, where officials and representatives from the globe meet to discuss different themes. This year’s event was supposed to discuss South-South cooperation, a top priority of Morocco’s foreign policy initiatives. 

The decision comes amid mounting concerns over the spread of the virus, according to state media Maghreb Arab Press (MAP). 

Morocco has confirmed two cases of COVID-19. Both carriers of the virus recently arrived in the country from Italy.

The Moroccan government advised organizers of major upcoming events in the country to cancel them in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19. 

“Crans Montana can only bow before the decision of the high authorities in the kingdom,” said founder and president of the forum Jean-Paul Carteron.

Crans Montana organizers will reschedule the event once the COVID-19 situation improves, Carteron added.

Several countries announced decisions to either cancel or postpone events due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The epidemic is growing fast across the globe, claiming the lives of more than 3,000 people.

Most of the fatalities were in China. Globally, around 95,000 people are infected with the virus.

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