COVID-19: Morocco extends night curfew, other restrictive measures for two more weeks as of Feb.16
Morocco has extended the anti-coronavirus restrictive measures for two more weeks as of Tuesday, February 16 at 9 p.m. The measures include a night curfew, closure of restaurants and shopping centers at 08 p.m. and maintenance of ban on public gatherings.
The restrective measures were first decreed on Dec.23, 2020 for three weeks and have since then been extended.
A government statement said that this decision is made at the recommendations of the Scientific and Technical Commission, which deemed it necessary to maintain the restrictive measures to fight the coronavirus, in particular after the evolution of this epidemic at the global level following the appearance of new strains of the virus in some neighboring countries.
The decision is also part of continued efforts to contain the spread of the epidemic and limit its negative repercussions, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the state of health emergency remains in force until March 10, 2021.
Morocco maintains the health emergency and the preventive measures although health authorities have been reporting in recent weeks decreasing numbers of daily new coronavirus cases with more recoveries than new cases, and lower fatality rates.
Morocco has also launched a mass vaccination campaign on January 28, with King Mohammed VI having been the first to receive a first dose of the vaccine. So far, over 1,700,000 persons have received their first immunization dose, which ranks Morocco in the top ten regarding the number of daily inoculations carried out across the country.
Morocco plans to inoculate 30 million people, or 80% of its population to reach herd immunity and then unlock the economy and lift all travel restrictions.
Morocco has placed orders for 66 million doses of vaccines produced by the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the Chinese laboratory Sinopharm. It has so far received six million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.
Other deliveries are expected in the coming days.
