Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports has launched a COVID-19 awareness caravan that will travel throughout the Casablanca-Settat region, a longstanding virus hotspot.
The regional director at the ministry’s sports department, Aziz Mootassim, told Morocco’s state media that the caravan carries the theme “Commitment, Cleanliness, Distancing and Wearing a Mask: A National and Moral Responsibility.”
The caravan is the latest in a series of campaigns to raise awareness of COVID-19 measures in the hard-hit Casablanca-Settat region, which records hundreds of new cases of the virus every day.
Casablanca authorities and the Ministry of Culture aim to emphasize the importance of face masks, social distancing, and good hygiene.
The five-day campaign also includes the distribution of masks, hand sanitizer, and other hygiene tools to associations mobilized in the fight against the pandemic, Mootassim said.
The Regional Academy of Education and Training (AREF) of Casablanca-Settat and the local and provincial authorities helped organize the campaign.
The caravan primarily targets schools and youth centers, which are also set to host parallel awareness-raising activities.
Mootassim stressed that the initiative is a joint effort of all government departments, media outlets, and local authorities to fight the health crisis in Casablanca-Settat.
Casablanca-Settat is Morocco’s most populous region and consequently hosts the majority of the country’s COVID-19 cases. On Sunday, the region recorded 605 of the country’s 1,927 new cases.
The city of Casablanca itself recorded 391 new cases, and all 10 of the region’s 35 new deaths occurred in the city.
Local authorities recently extended firm lockdown measures in Morocco’s economic capital.
The Moroccan government initially imposed lockdown measures on September 7, which were set to expire after two weeks. On September 18, authorities renewed the measures, now set to expire October 5.
Casablanca lockdown measures closed entrances and exits to and from the city. Residents require exceptional movement permits to travel in and out of the city.
The lockdown also includes a night curfew. Residents may not go out after 10 p.m. or before 5 a.m. Health professionals and employees whose work requires them to go out beyond curfew hours may do so with the proper authorization.
Local markets must close at 3 p.m., cafes and shops at 8 p.m., and restaurants at 9 p.m.
Casablanca’s COVID-19 lockdown closed all schools at all levels, including universities. Students in Casablanca are following distance education programs until the lockdown ends.
