Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior warned on Monday that it is ready to close any neighborhood in the case of emergence of new COVID-19 hotspots.
The ministry recalled its decision to shut down entrances leading to Tangier as well as several neighborhoods within the city due to the recent emergence of COVID-19 hotspots.
The decision also includes several strict other measures, such as reimposing the need to carry an exceptional movement permit.
Citizens can only go outside of their homes, with the exceptional movement permit, in cases of necessity.
The interior ministry said that authorities have closed all production or tourism operations in certain units that are not in compliance with the preventive measures prescribed to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The decision is due to the “development of the epidemiological situation in our country in summer,” the ministry argued, condemning the “irresponsible” behavior undermining the efficacy of the preventive measures announced by the authorities.
The ministry warns it will not tolerate any violations in respecting the preventive measures, vowing to take immediate action to punish anyone who deviates from the established rules.
After the surge in new COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Health issued a separate press release calling on citizens to continue to abide by all of the recommendations that seek to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The last few weeks marked a relatively significant increase in Morocco’s number of COVID-19 cases. Fatalities also increased in the last few days. The country recorded five deaths in 24 hours on July 13. The death toll reached 256 as of the ministry’s 10 a.m. announcement on July 14.
This week and last week, however, Morocco also witnessed an increase in recoveries, bringing the number of active cases down to 2,388.
The country has recorded 16,047 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic in March. Approximately 889,241 suspected cases have tested negative for COVID-19 to date.
