Rabat – The port of Laayoune in southern Morocco has reopened to workers and fishermen after a brief suspension.
According to a local news report citing the regional council of Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra, activity at the port resumed on Saturday, August 8.
The closure mainly aimed to carry out COVID-19 tests on workers and fishermen to avoid any outbreaks.
“The port of Laayoune has normally resumed its fishing activities after sailors agreed to undergo screening tests for COVID-19 after the Eid al-Adha holiday,” said a statement from local authorities, quoted by 2M television channel.
According to the statement, all fishermen working in the port underwent COVID-19 tests before rejoining their boats.
Following the reopening of the port, approximately 70 boats specializing in octopus fishing took to the sea, the statement added.
The port of Laayoune reopened a few hours after its closure. Local authorities announced the closure on Saturday morning, saying “as of August 8, the port is closed until further notice.”
According to authorities, the closure aimed to avoid “a second wave” of COVID-19 after sailors spent the Eid al-Adha holiday, celebrated on July 31, with their families.
As of Sunday, Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra has confirmed 874 COVID-19 cases since the start of the domestic outbreak. A large number of the cases appeared in fish processing factories in Laayoune, with outbreaks varying in scale.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra only represents 2.63% of Morocco’s total cases. However, the region is the most-affected in Morocco’s southern provinces. The neighboring regions of Guelmim-Oued Noun and Dakhla-Oued Ed Dahab have only reported 170 and 116 COVID-19 cases, respectively.
