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Rabat – Morocco’s Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani denied on Sunday fake news claiming that the country is planning to enter a new national lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19.
A fake statement circulating online this week says that the government is set to announce a lockdown on Sunday after a government council meeting.
In response, El Othmani shared a statement to refute the rumors. If the government was planning to reimpose lockdown, it would announce the decision through official channels and public news outlets.
The statement also renewed calls for national mobilization against fake news, which spreads frustration and panic among citizens.
The fake news regarding a potential lockdown comes as Morocco is experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases.
Morocco has confirmed 219,084 cases of COVID-19 since March 2, including 3,695 deaths and 181,275 recoveries.
The number of active cases reached 34,114 on October 31.
The Casablanca-Settat region continues to report over 1,000 new cases every day.
The Ministry of Health said last week that the average COVID-19 reproduction rate in Morocco stands at around 1.08 and exceeds 1.0 in 10 Moroccan regions.
The ministry is seeking to reduce the rate below 1.0 in all regions.
The recent statistics on COVID-19 cases make Morocco the 32nd country worldwide by the number of confirmed cases, down from the 30th position two weeks earlier.
Morocco remains the 36th country in terms of coronavirus-related deaths.
Morocco is also second in the number of COVID-19 cases in Africa, behind South Africa.
