Moroccan officials continue to warn that the fight against the pandemic is not over.
Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb said on Tuesday that Morocco will maintain its mass COVID-19 screening strategy to avoid “any epidemic rebound.”
In a July 7 statement to Parliament, the minister said the country adopted the strategy along with heightened vigilance to keep the rate of infections and fatality low and to stem the spread of the virus.
In order to ensure the success of Morocco’s measures against the pandemic, he continued, collective action from all partners and actors is necessary.
Moroccan officials have stressed that the war against COVID-19 is not over, calling on the country’s citizens and residents to continue to respect preventive measures to avoid contamination.
Ait Taleb also reviewed the five foundations of Morocco’s plan to gradually lift confinement, focusing on fighting outbreaks in “production sectors that have a direct link with citizens.”
The plan also seeks to monitor the stocks of medicines and medical equipment as part of the preparations for total lockdown lifting.
The health minister reassured citizens about the recent increase in the number of active COVID-19 cases, recalling that the surge is due to mass screening at an early stage to detect possible infections.
Ait Taleb delivered similar remarks and assurances during Monday’s council of ministers, during which King Mohammed VI asked him about the epidemiological situation in Morocco.
“The epidemiological situation remains under control to date and that it’s all similar necessary to comply with preventive and health security measures to avoid a new possible wave of COVID-19,” the health minister said.
Ait Taleb reiterated that the “large number of new cases” registered is “indicative of the great efforts made by the public authorities to contain the epidemic and curb its spread.”
Morocco has confirmed 14,730 COVID-19 cases to date, including 10,848 recoveries and 240 deaths.
The country’s mass screening campaign and consolidation of its testing capacity has allowed Moroccan laboratories to rule out 795,073 suspected cases that tested negative for COVID-19.
