COVID-19: Morocco’s crisis management under King’s leadership commended by El Mundo

Spanish newspaper El Mundo commended the efforts made by Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, to manage the COVID-19 health crisis and limit the spread of the pandemic.

In an article published under the title “The Task Force of H.M. King Mohammed VI Curbs the Spread of the Virus”, the daily newspaper noted that Morocco was among the first countries to have implemented strict and precautionary measures to curb the spread of the pandemic. This has made of Morocco a model for neighboring countries in terms of managing this health crisis, the daily wrote.

The newspaper said that since the confirmation of the first cases of Covid-19 on March 2 in the country, Morocco closed its borders and suspended all international flights, before it decided to close schools and mosques and ban gatherings. Then, Morocco decreed compulsory lockdown on March 20, which has prevented about 6,000 deaths, according to the Paris-based Montaigne Institute.

“H.M. King Mohammed VI personally oversaw the management of this health crisis and created a Task Force, made up of senior officials, to coordinate the strategy to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.” All officials of Moroccan administrations and public establishments, as well as security forces, have been mobilized to coordinate the implementation of the state of health emergency and make citizens aware of the importance of the measures adopted, the Spanish paper pointed out.

‘El Mundo’ also underlined how the Moroccan textile industrial units have been involved by the State in the manufacturing of protective masks, which has enabled the Kingdom to cover, in record time, the needs of the population, before authorizing their export to several countries, including Spain, France, Italy and Germany.

The Kingdom’s security forces, for their part, have been mobilized to ensure compliance with health emergency rules and the recommended social distancing and safety measures, the protection of strategic sites, the fight against cybercrime and fake news on social media and initiate proceedings against offenders who expose the health security of citizens to danger, the publication pointed out.

According to ‘El Mundo’, Morocco has managed, thanks to the implementation of these strict measures, to contain the spread of the virus and to stabilize the contamination curve.

Drawing a parallel between Morocco and its neighbor Algeria, the daily noted that the Kingdom recorded as of Friday a total of 7,300 Covid-19 cases, including 197 deaths, while Algeria, with the same number of cases, recorded nearly three times more coronavirus-related deaths.