Rabat – The US’ Centers for Disease Control (CDC) classified Morocco a “very high” risk country following the resurgence of COVID-19.
The CDC added the North African country to its Level 4 list on August 23, encouraging travelers to “avoid travel to Morocco,” adding that if it is necessary, “to make sure [they] are fully vaccinated before.” Thus the country was designated “Level 4: Very High Level of COVID-19 in Morocco.”
The CDC categorizes countries between Level 1, considered low-risk destinations, to Level 4, considered very high-risk destinations. Last time the CDC changed Morocco’s designation was in early August when it was added to the Level 3 “High” risk list.
The CDC notice page for Morocco suggests that due to the epidemiological situation in the country, “even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.”
The notice also stressed that travelers should follow Morocco’s preventative measures and requirements, “including wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart from others.”
The agency designates countries to its Level 4 category after registering at least 500 cases per 100,000 residents within the last 28 days, CDC criteria reads. Morocco’s previous designation, the Level 3 category, is assigned to countries that recorded between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days, according to the same criteria.
Other destinations that the CDC added to its Level 4 list were Bahamas, Haiti, Kosovo, Lebanon, and Sint Maarten.
Morocco’s Ministry of Health announced 2,996 new COVID-19 cases and 97 deaths on August 23. Active cases reached 71,387 while 2,581 people were in critical condition. The national vaccination campaign has been making steady progress, with the country’s health professionals having administered 17,487,039 first doses of the vaccine, while 13,191,363 Moroccan residents have been fully vaccinated.
