Coronavirus increases public trust in Moroccan authorities- Chatham House

The measures taken by the Moroccan government to counter the coronavirus outbreak have strengthened citizens’ trust in institutions, said a policy paper published by UK think Tank the Chatham House.

Citing a recent study conducted by the Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis, the policy paper, signed by Mohamed Masbah and Anna Jacobs, showed that a majority of Moroccans surveyed are generally satisfied with the measures taken by the government to battle the coronavirus, although some misgivings persist with regard to the capacities of the health sector to absorb the crisis.

“King Mohammed VI held a high-level meeting with the prime minister, the minister of health, and top security officials on 17 March and a few days later, on 20 March, the Moroccan government declared a state of health emergency and began to implement aggressive measures to contain the virus,” the paper said.

The paper points at the pre-emptive measures taken by Morocco including halting passenger traffic, and public gatherings before imposing a nation-wide confinement on March 20.

“The King ordered the creation of an emergency fund, raising more than 32.7 billion Moroccan Dirhams ($3.2 billion)” with the aim of addressing urgent medical needs and mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic, the paper recalled.

To meet the needs in equipment, Morocco allocated 2 billion dirhams to purchasing 1000 intensive care beds, testing kits and other essential equipment and medicine to treat coronavirus patients, the authors of the paper said.

The paper concludes with a call on the government to address the large portfolio of unfinished reforms, notably in healthcare, the economy, and labor rights in order to keep the momentum of national solidarity in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.