Rabat – Morocco’s preventive measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country are proving effective at this stage, assured the Moroccan Health Minister Khalid Ait Taleb.
The minister made the statement on Friday, March 6, during a meeting with members from the House of Representatives in Rabat.
The meeting examined the situation in Morocco amid the global spread of the virus.
The minister stressed that the national committee set up to control the spread of COVID-19 in Morocco is closely monitoring the developments of the disease, “which remains under control” despite the “unpredictability” of the virus’ evolution.
The committee is constantly working to detect suspicious cases of the virus in Morocco and to follow up on the two confirmed cases out of fifty suspected cases identified so far.
The Directorate of Epidemiology and Disease Control in Morocco, Ait Taleb continued, has extensive experience in monitoring similar epidemics, such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Ebola.
The COVID-19 spread should slow down during the spring as temperatures rise, the health minister said.
Ait Taleb also outlined the health ministry’s safety and protection rules, such as not using medical masks before consultation because they “could be harmful to health.”
The minister expressed his satisfaction with the effectiveness of Moroccan laboratories, especially the Pasteur Institute of Casablanca that detected the two confirmed COVID-19 cases in Morocco.
All Moroccan hospitals are ready to receive patients in case of need, assured the minister.
The Moroccan official called for the creation of a unified government committee responsible for communicating the developments of the COVID-19 spread in Morocco with the public in order to combat fake news.
The minister also suggested large-scale preventive measures, especially at weekly markets in rural areas “where there are few awareness campaigns against the disease.”
Meanwhile, the Director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Department, Mohamed Elyoubi, presented his department’s COVID-19 monitoring and response plan.
There are currently only two confirmed COVID-19 cases in Morocco. The first case is showing signs of improvements. However, the second case is in a critical condition because of her old age and suffering from a chronic illness.
A deputy from the House of Representatives, Said Ait Bou Ali, told the press that the meeting served to enlighten the public and assure that the current situation in Morocco “does not cause concern.”
