Rabat – Local authorities in the city of Safi, on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, have implemented a series of lockdown measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 after the emergence of new COVID-19 hotspots in the past few days.
The decision came after hundreds of workers in several fish processing facilities in the city’s port tested positive for COVID-19, Morocco’s press agency MAP reported.
The Wali (Governor) of the Marrakech-Safi region, Karim Kassi-Lahlou, chaired a meeting on July 4 with regional and local officials to discuss the recent surge in cases and deliberate the measures to contain the pandemic.
During the meeting, Kassi-Lahlou urged all stakeholders to take the necessary measures for ensuring the “best interests of the city and its people,” which translated to strict lockdown measures.
While Safi has been part of the government-designated Zone 1 — the zone with eased lockdown measures — since June 11, the city has now borrowed a series of measures from Zone 2.
Under the new regulations, businesses in Safi must close at 6 p.m., while cafes must shut at 8 p.m. Local authorities have also banned public access to the beach near the “Assalam” and “Siha” markets in the city’s third district.
The district is also set to witness more frequent disinfection operations, especially in the areas where COVID-19 cases were detected, in public spaces, and in public transportation.
Other measures announced after the July 4 meeting include an awareness campaign to urge citizens to comply with safety measures, as well as a new system to manage the confirmed COVID-19 cases in local hospitals.
Regarding the production units that caused alarm, city officials have decided on the immediate closure of 18 units and a ban on entering and exiting the highly-infected district.
Authorities of the Marrakech-Safi regional council will continue to monitor the epidemiological situation in the coastal city on a daily basis and adjust the new measures accordingly.
