Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
The national council of Morocco’s Association of Cafe and Restaurant Owners has expressed dissatisfaction with the country’s decision to introduce a night curfew during Ramadan.
Morocco’s government announced its decision on the night curfew on Wednesday, less than a week before the beginning of Ramadan.
The night curfew will start at 8 p.m. and end at 6 a.m. throughout the holy month.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has yet to confirm the official date of Ramadan, but astronomical calculations predict it will begin on April 14.
Citizens received the night curfew decision with varied reactions.
Cafe owners and workers expressed shock due to the economic crisis the businesses suffered last year and in 2021 due to the spread of COVID-19.
The government mandated the closure of most businesses in mid-March 2020.
Amid concerns and economic crisis, the government decided to provide cafe workers with financial aid as part of a national fund that Morocco introduced to tackle the pandemic’s socio-economic challenges.
The closure continued until June, with strict health restrictions.
With the re-launch of activities, cafes received instructions to host guests at 50% capacity, with social distancing measures and the wearing of face masks.
The night curfew decision mirrors events Morocco witnessed in 2020, including last year’s Ramadan.
The association of cafe owners expressed “its complete rejection of the government’s decision to prohibit night travel at the national level every day, and holds it fully responsible for the state of Moroccan professionals and workers, and for every deterioration and social tension that our country will know in the future.”
The association also decided to suspend its national strike that the cafe owners’ council called for April 9.
