COVID-19: Moroccan cafes, restaurants to resume limited activity Friday
After industrial units were allowed to resume their activities on the morrow of Eid Al-Fitre, celebrated in Morocco last Sunday May 24, owners of cafes and restaurants are to resume their activities this Friday, May 29, but only for takeout and delivery, the ministry of Industry and Trade announced Thursday.
The managers of cafes and restaurants are however required to strictly implement the precautionary and health rules issued by health authorities, in order to safeguard the health of customers and employees and contain the spread of coronavirus, the ministry pointed out in a statement.
Preventive measures include ensuring the cleanliness of the workplace, installations and utensils on a daily basis, guaranteeing adequate ventilation of the workplace, providing antiseptic solutions and protective masks for workers, as well as organizing a work schedule that reduces the presence of employees at the same time.
The managers are also urged to respect the physical distancing rules between employees themselves and between employees and customers, ensure compliance with hygiene rules during all stages of preparing, packaging, and delivering orders to customers, and to raise employees’ awareness to the importance of these precautionary and hygiene measures.
Restaurant and cafe workers must deliver orders outside their facilities.
The ministry recommends the follow-up of the health condition of employees and the need to inform health authorities in case of any suspected infection among the staff.
Joint commissions of concerned departments will monitor the implementation of these measures, and take action against offenders, the Ministry said.
Restaurants and cafes were ordered to close down on March 15, few days before the nationwide lockdown decreed in Morocco on March 20. The lockdown, extended twice, will initially end on June 10.
The number of recorded coronavirus cases in Morocco has dropped over the past few days.
This Thursday, the country confirmed 42 new cases, bringing the total to 7,643 and 202 fatalities. Recovery rate has reached 68% with the number of cured people amounting to 5,195.
According to the Health Ministry, 2,246 patients are still being treated, including 31 in intensive care units (1.4%). The Covid-19 reproduction number dropped to 0.78.
