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Rabat – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Residing Abroad (MREs) is increasing efforts to assist Moroccan tourists and expatriates around the world amid the COVID-19 crisis.
The ministry is deploying its personnel, missions, and consular centers to assist all Moroccans abroad and to provide necessary guidelines amid the health crisis.
The ministry’s latest action is the instructions to the consulate general of Morocco in Dusseldorf, western Germany, to support the non-resident Moroccan citizens in the region during the period of confinement.
The instructions come following Morocco’s decision to temporarily suspend land, maritime, and air travel on March 15 to contain the spread of COVID-19. Cases have climbed to 1,617 as of April 12.
The consulate said in a statement that the vast majority of non-resident Moroccans in the west German region are tourists.
“Several support measures have been put in place since the start of the situation,” the consulate said in a statement.
The Dusseldorf consulate created a crisis unit that Moroccans in the region can reach by phone or email. The unit is responsible for detecting stranded tourists in the consular districts.
A monitoring unit also consults with Moroccan groups in Germany who are active on social media to allow the consulate to identify citizens in distress.
The Moroccan consulate in Dusseldorf said it is supporting all citizens in precarious situations, distributing food supplies to residents and providing free medicines to people with chronic diseases.
The consulate is also maintaining contact with local authorities regarding the burial of deceased Moroccans.
Moroccan personnel in the mission are also looking into the conditions of the most vulnerable people in the Moroccan community, particularly prisoners, the elderly, and students, and working to provide them with essential assistance.
The Dusseldorf consulate concluded its statement by thanking Moroccan expatriates and tourists for their understanding and for complying with the orders put in place by German authorities to fight the pandemic.
Supportive actions ongoing
The Dusseldorf consulate’s actions echo measures that Moroccan consulates and missions have enacted around the world to help the diaspora and tourists during the crisis.
Consulates in countries such as Italy, Spain, and the US have been assisting the Moroccan diaspora and stranded tourists with the necessary support. The consulates are committed to helping low-income families of MREs and ensuring proper Islamic burial services of deceased Moroccans.
In addition, the Moroccan embassy in Washington, D.C. decided to exceptionally extend the annual tourist currency endowment for Moroccan tourists stranded in the US as part of its support plan.
Morocco has also been working with foreign embassies internally to care for stranded tourists and repatriate them to their home countries despite the state of emergency and the suspension of international travel.
