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Rabat – After a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in Morocco, the European Union has removed the country from its list of countries deemed “safe” for non-essential travel. The decision comes following a review of countries by EU ambassadors on Friday, August 7.
From Saturday, August 8, non-essential travel between the EU and Morocco will no longer be permitted. Travelers from states not on the list of countries deemed to have their COVID-19 epidemic under control are not allowed into EU member states.
The EU revised the list based on the number of newly recorded COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks. Morocco has seen a record number of new cases in the last two weeks, with 11,828 confirmed from July 25 to August 7. The country has now reported a total of 30,662 cases and 461 deaths.
On Friday, Morocco recorded 1,018 new cases while also seeing 995 successful recoveries. Although the total number of cases, and particularly deaths, in Morocco is still significantly lower than most European countries, a recent doubling in reported cases has worried Moroccan officials.
Algeria was similarly removed from the EU’s list that currently still features Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay. Travelers of China remain with provisional permission to visit the EU, should China reciprocate open borders.
The Moroccan government has decided to extend its state of emergency in order to ensure necessary measures can be promptly implemented if required.
