Moroccan PM defends before MPs Ramadan night curfew

Prime Minister Saad Dine El Otmani spoke for more than an hour before MPs trying to convince them about the righteousness of the government’s decision to maintain the night curfew throughout Ramadan, where people usually pray in mosques at night, sit in cafes and visit family members.

This is the second Ramadan in a row that Moroccans will have to stay home in the evenings as the government fears that lifting the night curfew in Ramadan would lead to a surge in cases amid concerns of an outbreak of new coronavirus strains.

“After the recommendation of the health and scientific committee, the curfew from 20:00 to 6:00 is the only way to limit the virus propagation in light of the surge in cases over the last few weeks,” said El Otmani.

He voiced concerns about the British variants of Covid-19 which spreads quickly and affects younger people as well.

Otmani said that a total lockdown was on the table but the government opted for a partial curfew in order to protect citizens’ health.

Cafes and restaurants owners stand to be among the businesses most affected by the curfew during Ramadan. Their professional bodies are lobbying with political parties to make their voice heard.

El Otmani recalled that the government has signed deals with most hit sectors such as restaurants, tourism, events, kindergartens, sports halls and cultural enterprises to spend 1.3 billion dirhams in aid.

Morocco has maintained a steady vaccination campaign and has become one of the leading countries in terms of administered doses per capita.

So far, Morocco has given 8.7 million jabs and counts 4736 active cases.