To control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Moroccan authorities allowed the continuity of “essential” professional activities only.
Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Industry issued a list of the professional activities authorized to continue operating despite the national state of emergency.
The list, which was published on Friday, March 20, aims to clarify the stores and services affected by the state of emergency and to soothe the worries of citizens.
The list includes 20 commercial activities and 21 types of services, along with industrial, agricultural, and fishing activities.
Commercial activities authorized to continue their operations include stores of all sizes for groceries, vegetables, fruits, meats, pastries, olives, spices, dried fruits, cleaning products, drugs, medical equipment, spare parts, and agricultural products and equipment.
The list of necessary services includes clinics, medical laboratories, offices of liberal professions, banks, insurance agencies, commercial agencies for water and electricity distribution companies, and agencies of telecommunications companies.
The list also includes postal agencies, money transfer offices, gas stations, urban transport, logistics and delivery services, nursing services, domestic maintenance, and repair shops.
Citizens working in the authorized sectors would need a work certificate from their employers in order to move freely between their home and workplace.
Morocco entered into a state of health emergency on Friday, March 20, with the aims of restricting the movement of citizens and keeping the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis under control.
Under the state of emergency, Moroccans can only leave their homes for work, essential shopping, or medical emergencies. They also need to carry a special permit signed by local authorities.
As of March 21 at midnight, Morocco has recorded 86 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including two recoveries and three deaths.
In recent days, the situation of the COVID-19 crisis in Morocco reached some new milestones.
On March 18, Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb announced the detection of the first locally infected COVID-19 patients. The detection of such cases motivated the declaration of the emergency state.
On March 20, Morocco recorded the largest 24-hour increase of confirmed cases to date, with 16 new cases.
