Morocco has been helping several other countries to repatriate their nationals despite closed borders and the COVID-19-induced lockdown.
Rabat – Cote d’Ivoire’s government held a Council of Ministers on April 29 to discuss several measures, including the process of repatriating its nationals from various African countries.
The list of countries where Ivorians are stranded due to COVID-19 border closures includes Morocco.
“The Council instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and all the Ministers concerned to take the diligent measures” to repatriate stranded nationals in line with the country’s COVID-19 health response plan, a statement from the Ivorian government said.
The repatriation operation will help Ivorian nationals stranded in Cameroon, Senegal, Morocco, and Tunisia to return to their country.
According to the statement, the repatriation process will exclusively help Ivorians who hold transport tickets acquired before the borders closed and who are “ready to submit to the health measures in force in our country.”
Cote d’Ivoire is affected by COVID-19 with 1,238 cases, 14 deaths, and 557 recoveries.
To date, the COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 3 million people across the world and killed hundreds of thousands.
Morocco is also among the African countries affected by the pandemic, registering 4,443 cases.
The country’s number of recoveries has increased significantly in the last few weeks, with 984 patients recovered in total.
The country’s death toll reached 170 on April 30.
Like Cote d’Ivoir, Morocco is also concerned about its nationals stranded abroad.
Last week, Morocco’s minister of foreign affairs estimated the number of Moroccans stranded abroad due to closed borders and lockdowns at 22,000.
He explained that the country has been looking into all possible means and preparing for the repatriation of citizens as soon as a rigorous plan is put in place to ensure the process’ success.
Meanwhile, the North African country has been assisting many countries wishing to repatriate their compatriots, including the US, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK.
