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Rabat – King Mohammed VI has ordered the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to exempt the tenants of Islamic Endowment premises from making rent payments. The decision is part of Morocco’s solidarity campaign to alleviate pressures on workers during the coronavirus lockdown.
The Islamic Endowment, under the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, manages properties rented to hundreds of thousands of small business owners across Morocco, especially in the country’s ancient medinas.
The measure will thus assist hundreds of thousands of tenants across the country, particularly in cities with bustling medinas such as Fez, Sale, Rabat, and Essaouira, whose livelihoods depend on trade, handicrafts, and other private and informal sector services with suspended activities.Â
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs said on April 8 that the measure aligns with Morocco’s commitment to assist workers affected by the COVID-19 crisis.Â
The instruction excludes employees working in the public sector.
The decision will apply until the end of the state of emergency, which began on March 20 and is scheduled to end on April 20.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Morocco, King Mohammed VI has ordered strict measures to support workers affected by the pandemic’s economic impacts.
The King ordered the creation of the Special Fund for the Management and Response to COVID-19, with an initial sum of $1 billion.
Since its inception on March 15, the fund’s worth has more than tripled thanks to over $2.5 billion in donations from philanthropists, business people, and private and public institutions.
In addition to supporting Morocco’s economy, the fund will also cover the expenses of upgrading medical equipment and infrastructure required for treating COVID-19 patients.
The fund will also allow the National Medical Assistance Program (RAMED) and the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) to issue monthly stipends to beneficiaries as most work activities are suspended.
Workers affiliated with CNSS who made declarations of pay suspensions will benefit from a MAD 1,000 ($100) for the month of March.
For April, May, and June, workers will receive MAD 2,000 ($200) per month.
RAMED subscribers can also benefit from subsistence aid, offered through King Mohammed VI’s Special Fund for the Management and Response to COVID-19.
Households of two people or less will receive stipends of MAD 800 ($85), while households of three to four people will receive MAD 1,000 ($100).
Households of more than four people will benefit from MAD 1,200 ($121).
