Dorset – Women at training and integration centers in Taounate in Morocco’s northern Rif region have produced 33,000 face masks to date.
The centers distribute the masks free of charge to families and individuals who are struggling financially during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The training centers are currently producing 1,500 masks every day under the supervision of the provincial delegation of Mutual Aid as well as the womens’ associations who run the centers.
The initiative is one of several projects, under the leadership of the National Human Development Initiative, to cushion the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Moroccan population, particularly on informal workers and vulnerable people.
The projects also cover the epidemiological aspects of the crisis and concern the provision of protective equipment, such as masks, and hygiene information, according to a statement from the Taounate Division of Social Action (DAS).
DAS has allocated MAD 100,000 ($10,100) to fund projects for vulnerable people and families living in precarious situations during the coronavirus pandemic.
Moroccan textile companies have mobilized across the kingdom to produce face masks amid the global health crisis.
According to a recent report from Spanish outlet EFE, Morocco boasts 40 textile factories which have, to date, produced over 10 million masks.
The mask production is now sufficient to cover the needs of the Moroccan people and export to Europe, so supporting the North African country’s economy.
Morocco’s Minister of Trade Moulay Hafid Elalamy has emphasized that allowing textile companies to re-launch their activities has helped to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 economic crisis.
The textile sector suffered a 86% drop in exports this year, compared to the same period last year.
On April 7, Morocco made it obligatory to wear face masks in public. Anyone who fails to comply with the measure faces a prison sentence ranging between one and three months.
Read also: El Othmani Calls on Moroccans to Learn to Live With COVID-19 for a Year
