First coronavirus case reported in Morocco

The Moroccan Ministry of Health announced Monday evening that a first case of the novel coronavirus was confirmed in the country.

The laboratory of l’Institut Pasteur-Maroc confirmed that a Moroccan national residing in Italy was affected by the coronavirus, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

The patient, whose condition does not give cause for concern, was admitted to the isolation unit at Moulay Youssef Hospital in Casablanca, the statement said, adding that the patient will benefit from all the necessary care, in accordance with the health measures in force.

A team from the Ministry of Health quickly identified all the persons having been in contact with the patient and carried out the necessary analyzes to identify any contamination.

Following the confirmation of this first case, the International Agricultural Show of Meknes (SIAM), scheduled April 14 – 19, was canceled.

 

The move comes as part of security and preventive measures decided by health authorities as the virus continues to spread around the globe. These measures include the postponement of sports & cultural events, the cancellation of mass gatherings in addition to travel bans to and from risk countries. The national ad-hoc committee says it monitors closely the epidemiological situation internationally and affirms it will take additional measures if necessary.

In North Africa, 3 cases were reported in Algeria, 2 in Egypt and 1 in Tunisia.

 

The deadly Covid-19 has so far sickened over 89,844 people and killed more than 3,000 others in the world.