COVID-19: State of health emergency extended for another month in Morocco to July 10

The Moroccan government has finally decided to extend the state of health emergency until July 10 with gradual easing of confinement measures.

The decision was made in line with a bill that was discussed and adopted Tuesday by a Cabinet Meeting, convened by videoconference under the chairmanship of head of government, Saad Dine El Otmani.

The extension of the health emergency was decided in view of the evolution of the epidemiological situation in the Kingdom, an evolution that requires the maintenance of the precautionary and preventive measures, the Government’s spokesman said.

The easing of the confinement measures will be made according to the evolution of the coronavirus health crisis in each of the regions, prefectures and provinces of the Kingdom, the spokesman added.

The Head of Government will provide more details about the decision at the House of Representatives this Wednesday June 10.

The state of health emergency was first decreed in Morocco on March 20 for a month. It was extended many times and was scheduled to end on June 10.

The state of health emergency, a normal measure in these times of the pandemic, implies a set of rules limiting freedom of movement and assembly, restricting traffic between cities and regions, banning ceremonies like weddings and funerals and gatherings in public places (cafés, restaurants, mosques, etc.) The health emergency also imposes the wearing of facemasks and social distancing.

The lockdown was one of Morocco’s boldest measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic by restricting the movement of citizens and enforcing social distancing.

The lockdown has helped, according to cabinet members, to curb the spread of the coronavirus by 80% and to prevent between 300,000 to 500,000 infections by Covid-19, as well as 9,000 to 15,000 deaths and an average of 600 new cases and 200 deaths daily.