Morocco’s Government Spokesperson: ‘Border Opening is Not an Easy Decision’

Rabat – On January 6, Government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas explained in a press conference that a decision to open borders will depend on a drop in COVID-19 cases in the country.

With the presence of new COVID-19 variants, the situation is ”hard to predict,” announced Baitas.

On December 15, 2021, Morocco recorded and confirmed the first case of the Omicron variant. On January 4, 2022, the coordinator of the National Center for Public Emergency Operation at the Ministry of Health confirmed the first Omicron-related death in the country.

Morocco is currently going through a new wave of COVID-19 cases. As of January 5, the ministry of health confirmed 5,618 new COVID-19 cases. The country is also experiencing a weekly increase of up to 25% in death cases related to the virus, warned public health officials.

While addressing the recent developments, Baitas stated “we sincerely hope that the end of this pandemic is approaching.” He added that “we hope that the wave that the world is going through will not last long and that it ends in the upcoming months.”

As of today, the government’s spokesperson did not confirm a potential date for a border opening. As he clearly stated: “the opening of borders is not an easy decision for the government to take.” He added that the decision requires a “detailed study of the pandemic situation in Morocco and abroad.”

The latest governmental decision on a nationwide flight ban provoked public discontent. On December 16, 2021, Mustapha Baitas announced the ban which came in response to the confirmation of the first Omicron case in the country. The ban came into effect on December 23, just a few days before special restrictions were placed on New Year’s Eve activities.

Morocco announced the travel ban on November 29. The measure will be running until January 31. It remains to be seen whether the government will extend the ban after the measure’s expiration date.