Covid-19: Royal Gendarmerie participates in Morocco’s masks production success story

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Morocco adopted a set of preventive measures to face the looming health crisis.

Part of the measures it adopted, Morocco imposed the compulsory wearing of masks and mobilized several industrial units to produce locally protective facemasks, a move that was described by international media a success story as the country reached a production capacity of over 12 million mask per day, largely meeting domestic demand.

The Royal Gendarmerie has contributed to this success story with its Mask Manufacturing Unit producing more than 1 million FFP2 masks and 200,000 type II surgical masks per week.

Between February and May 2020, the factory, operational since 2009 in the Benslimane region, has produced nearly 14 million FFP2 masks and 3 million surgical masks that meet international standards.

Labeled with CE certification (European Community), the plant was designed to provide Morocco with a strategic stock, produced locally, which would enable the country to cope with a possible epidemic surge, similar to that of H1N1 flu or Ebola.

“The production is also intended to meet the needs of several public departments, such as the Ministry of Health and the Military Health Inspectorate,” Director of the plant Lieutenant-Colonel Charif El Ayadi told MAP. He added that a project to extend the plant is underway to increase production.

Given the growing demand triggered by the current health crisis, the masks produced by Royal gendarmerie are made available to medical staff working with covid-19 patients.

Today, the plant has its own quality control laboratory, which is equipped with the latest technologies in terms of checking the conformity of masks and filtering materials.

More than 80 technicians, electro-mechanics and administrative staff are working at the plant and ensure the uninterrupted production of masks throughout the week.

Morocco, which has secured self-sufficiency in non-medical masks and built a safety stockpile, began to export the items at competitive prices. Several countries, including Spain, Sweden, Belgium, France, Italy and Germany are interested in purchasing the Morocco-made masks