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Rabat – The Moroccan government has announced its decision to move up the date of the House of Representatives’ session to discuss the lockdown lifting strategy.
The meeting will take place at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10 rather than June 11, Moroccan television channel 2M reported Tuesday.
“Tomorrow, Wednesday, the Parliament will hold a plenary session devoted to the monthly oral questions addressed to the Head of Government [Saad Eddine El Othmani] on public policy, in accordance with the preventive and precautionary measures taken by the bodies of the Council in this regard,” a press release from the House of Representatives announced.
The session is in accordance with the third paragraph of Chapter 100 of Morocco’s constitution and in line with the internal system of the council, outlined in Articles 278 and 283.
Local media reported last week that Morocco is set to extend the state of emergency for the third time and announce the decision today, June 9. The country has been on lockdown for more than two months after the government announced a state of emergency on March 19 and placed the country under lockdown the following day.
The state of emergency aims to curb the spread of COVID-19. The country currently has 777 active cases of the virus and 7,423 patients have recovered from COVID-19. Coronavirus-related deaths stand at 208.
Despite Morocco’s 89% recovery rate, 2.5% fatality rate, and relatively low number of active cases compared to other countries that have already eased restrictions, the government is still determining if it can safely commence deconfinement as scheduled and avoid another COVID-19 outbreak.
The country has confirmed a total of 8,408 COVID-19 cases, and 327, 235 suspected virus carriers tested negative since the outbreak of the pandemic on March 2.
When announcing Morocco’s second state of emergency extension on May 18, El Othmani acknowledged that the lockdown is a social and financial burden on thousands of Moroccans. However, he maintained that the strict and proactive measures have let the country avoid the worst of the pandemic, stating Morocco could have suffered up to 600 deaths and 900 infections per day.
