Rabat – Today March 24, The General Prosecutor’s Office of the kingdom urged all the magistrates of all the jurisdictions of Morocco, to implement instructions on the emergency state, to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in Morocco, with the most stringency.
This follows the approval of the draft decree-law 2.20.292 by both chambers of the parliament–the deputies and advisers of the sectoral committees of the interior–on March 22.
The draft law relates to the state of health emergency’s provisions procedures to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Morocco.
The general prosecutor’s call for strict enforcement is also a response to recent demonstrations in some Moroccan cities. The demonstrations are considered a high risk to public health in light of the novel coronavirus crisis.
In addition to the five recent arrests in Fez, security services arrested suspects in the city of Tetouan, east of Tangier, for obstructing local authorities’ precautionary measures.
Moroccan police arrested 120 suspects including nine minors today, March 24 in Sale, Rabat’s twin city, for refusing to comply with the country’s emergency measures.
Police are still investigating to determine if any additional suspects were involved in instigating the lockdown violations.
Morocco entered a state of emergency on March 20, limiting movement to protect citizens from infection and to prevent the pandemic’s spread.
Moroccan Minister of Interior Abdelouafi Laftit urged everyone to adhere to the state of emergency rules, stressing that the preventive measures can only bear fruit after two or three weeks.
Laftit stressed that citizens’ compliance with the government’s procedures will protect everyone in the future, calling on citizens to cooperate and stay home, unless absolutely necessary.
Morocco’s government announced that the state of emergency will continue until April 20, in response to the growing COVID-19 crisis.
Read also: Moroccans Praise Female Caid’s Commitment Amid COVID-19 Crisis
