COVID-19: ONDA Unveils Plan to Resume Airport Activity

Rabat – The Moroccan National Office of Airports (ONDA) has revealed its resumption plan and the sanitary measures it aims to undertake to ensure a safe activity. 

The action plan aims to prioritize the safety of passengers, personnel, and all airport staff and visitors.

In order to manage the flow of passengers, ONDA pledges to coordinate with airport partners, including border force and customs, to establish order in terms of social distancing.

Social distancing measures will be enforced in all areas where passengers have to queue with 2-meter markings. Moroccan airports will also lock two seats on every bench.

Certain categories of personnel who interact with passengers must comply with special measures such as wearing gloves.

Moroccan airports will install physical partitions and plexiglass plates where there is human interaction, such as at check-in counters, information counters, departure lounges, and border posts for departures and arrival.

ONDA also plans to facilitate passenger boarding on foot, rather than using buses, to keep passengers at a safe distance.

The Office will also prioritize the use of stairs instead of elevators, unless necessary, as well as the closure of all passenger meeting spaces including children’s play areas and smoking areas.

Moroccan airports will also share awareness messages on compliance with social distancing through sound announcements, display screens, and billboards.

Disinfectant gels will be fixed at various points of the airport. Restaurants and coffee shops will offer only take-away meals and drinks.

The recovery plan aims to improve cleaning operations at the airport, by improving air purification systems, disinfecting luggage, as well as selling sterile face masks and disinfectant gels.

ONDA will also install thermal cameras to monitor the temperature of passengers’ bodies at all arrivals areas. In coordination with the Ministry of Health, ONDA made an evacuation pattern for suspected cases of COVID-19 infection, at departures and arrivals.