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Rabat – A collaborative effort of social services in Morocco has equipped 145 facilities to receive people who are homeless in an effort to protect them from COVID-19.Â
In a meeting with the House of Advisors on April 21, Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani commented on the efforts to appropriately address the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable people who are experiencing homelessness.Â
El Othmani stated that a collective effort between local authorities, territorial authorities, civil society, National Mutual Aid (EN), and the Red Crescent made it possible to shelter approximately 6,230 people.
Efforts also included reuniting 1,699 individuals with their families.Â
Staying in public spaces, limited access to washing facilities, an inability to avoid high-touch surfaces, a lack of access to healthcare, and a higher probability of having chronic health conditions put people experiencing homelessness at greater risk for contracting the virus. Authorities and civilians have acknowledged the risk, facilitating temporary accommodation for those in need.Â
El Othmani also noted the hundreds of measures taken by King Mohammed VI to combat the spread of COVID-19, such as offering support to the 21,000 Moroccans stranded outside of the country due to closed borders. Authorities developed separate crisis units in order to assist these citizens during the pandemic.Â
Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified the situation of Moroccans stranded abroad yesterday. The country is searching for a way to appropriately repatriate the large number of Moroccans stranded abroad, which El Othmani yesterday estimated at 21,000, in the face of mounting case counts.Â
Worldwide, there are a total of 2,580,729 cases of COVID-19, including 178,371 deaths and 693,093 recoveries. Morocco has confirmed a total of 3,377 cases of COVID-19, reporting 149 deaths and 398 recoveries.
