Rabat – Morocco’s scientific committee held a meeting on January 25 to review the epidemiological situation in the country and in each region.
As the Moroccan government has said that the reopening of borders depends on the evolution of the epidemiological situation in the country, many citizens, especially tourism professionals, are eagerly waiting for the scientific committee’s recommendations.
In a statement to MWN, Said Moutawakil, member of the Scientific and Technical Committee for the fight against COVID-19, stressed that the “epidemiological situation have reached a peak in Omicron variant cases especially in big cities like Casablanca and Rabat.”
However, “the pressure still persists on intensive care units in addition to other pressures regarding medical staff members, as around 50% got sick during this period,” Moutawakil noted.
Morocco has recorded a high number of COVID-19 related cases in recent weeks and the scientific committee member believes that “we need three to four weeks to curb the spread of the virus.”
When the number of positive cases are expected to decrease in coming weeks, “mortality rate of COVID-19 will remain high, since patients stay for a long period in intensive care before passing away,” Moutawakil concluded.
As uncertainty about the reopening of borders persists, Sid Afif, member of the scientific committee for vaccination, has previously stressed to local media that “the dominant variant today in the Kingdom is Omicron with 95% of cases. Therefore, the borders should be reopened as soon as possible in order to accelerate the recovery of the national economy affected by the pandemic.”
The health specialist argued that the decision must go hand-in-hand with stringent travel requirements that require travelers to present a PCR test less than 48 hours before departure and be vaccinated with the three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to him, Morocco has been able to keep the epidemiological situation under control due to the effective measures the country has implemented since the start of the pandemic.
Afif emphasized that there should be a balance between health and economics, noting that “it is necessary to take into account new developments when making a decision. The tourism sector, for example, is experiencing a suffocating crisis … not to mention the quarantine which has caused psychological consequences for citizens.”
Amid ongoing uncertainty over continued border closures, tourism professionals and travel agencies organized a national sit-in on January 26, urging the government to provide them with clear answers as their businesses were severely hit by the extension of the travel ban.
Morocco closed its borders on November 29, it has yet to be seen whether the government will lift the travel ban in February.
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