Risk of Coronavirus in Morocco is “Low” – Health Ministry
No case of Coronavirus has been reported in Morocco wherein the risk to the public health remains low, said on Friday local news outlets citing the Health Department.
However, there is no zero risk as the North African Kingdom welcomes annually between 150,000 and 190,000 Chinese tourists. This number is expected to rise as Morocco’s national airline company, Royal Air Maroc, has started earlier this month operating three weekly direct flights between Casablanca and Beijing to boost tourism arrivals.
The Moroccan flag-carrier has not apparently taken any precautionary measures against the new Coronavirus, which has killed so far 26 people across China and sickened more than 830 people.
Royal Air Maroc (RAM) says it is waiting for the decision and recommendation of the Ministry of Health.
In view of the growing number of cases, the Moroccan Embassy in China has taken precautionary measures by providing Moroccans settled in China with emergency telephone numbers. In case of need, Moroccan nationals are called to contact the Embassy by sending e-mails to sifama.beiging@moroccoembassy.org.cn, including their passport number and their residential addresses, or call the following phone numbers: 8618701156920 or 8615652198381.
The Moroccan Embassy said it is in permanent contact with the Chinese authorities and with the Moroccan expatriates in China to monitor the situation.
The embassy called in a statement, members of the Moroccan community in China to be vigilant and to follow all the preventive measures recommended by the Chinese authorities.
In Morocco’s Airports, it is business as usual. The authorities say there is a system, which can be deployed against all types of threats in coordination with the Health department.
According to Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control at the Moroccan ministry of health Mohamed Youbi, Morocco, as a member of the World Health Organization, abides by WHO’s guidelines and recommendations against all global public health threats.
The National center of public health emergency operations is monitoring closely the situation and making daily updates of the reports coming from China, added the senior health official, affirming that Morocco has a well-defined and tested response plan to deal with Coronavirus.
At least 10 cities in central Hubei province have been shut down in an effort to stop the virus.
WHO described the outbreak as an emergency for China, but stopped short of declaring it to be a public health emergency of international concern.
According to experts, coronavirus comes from animals. Many of those infected either worked or frequently shopped in seafood wholesale market in the center of the Chinese city the Huanan. The market also sells live and newly slaughtered animals. New and deadly viruses usually originate in animal hosts such as Ebola and flu before infecting humans.
