COVID-19: Homeless Center in Morocco’s Sale Reaches Out

Rabat – The Reception and Orientation Center for Homeless People in Sale, a neighboring city to Rabat, has initiated special measures to protect homeless people from the novel coronavirus.

In collaboration with the International Development Association (IDA), the shelter is disinfecting its facilities, raising awareness among its residents, and providing them shelter so as not to catch the virus or infect others, Maghreb Arab Press reported on March 26.

The initiative falls within the framework of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) and is an additional precautionary measure to tackle the spread of COVID-19. Morocco entered a state of emergency on March 21.

The center is also providing people with haircuts, showers, and an entertainment program that includes sports and cultural activities.

Seven other Moroccan cities took similar actions for homeless people.

On March 22, Minister of Solidarity, Equality, and Family Jamila El Moussali announced that existing shelters were opening their doors for homeless people in the cities of Tangier, Oujda, Casablanca, Rabat, Kenitra, Inezgane, and Agadir.

“This action comes within the framework of the precautionary measures of an urgent nature taken to confront the exceptional situation in the kingdom,” El Moussali explained on the morning radio program “Sabah Baladi.”

El Moussali said solidarity does not depend only on financial support, but also on “commitment to the procedures and measures of the health emergency” to avoid the spread of the virus across the country.

In a humanitarian action, a man in Tangier offered a whole building of five floors he owns to local authorities to host homeless people in the city until the end of the state of emergency in Morocco.

Two teams of local volunteers, operating on shifts are managing the building, which has been rearranged to host men and women separately, and providing 24-hour assistance for the guests.

A delegation from the Ministry of Health is supervising the establishment of the temporary shelter in Tangier, in order to ensure adherence to sanitary and precautionary measures for the homeless residents and volunteers.