Covid-19: Epidemiological Situation Becoming "Worrying", According to Health Minister

The epidemiological situation linked to the Covid-19 pandemic is becoming “worrying”, given the increase in contaminations, severe cases and deaths caused by the disease, said, on Monday in Rabat, Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb.

“The number of contamination cases identified within a week exceeds what has been recorded in four months in Morocco,” said the minister during a press conference the day after the decision to ban travel from and to eight cities of the Kingdom.

“A worrying situation does not necessarily mean an out of control situation”, he said, adding that he is alarmed by the epidemic outbreak over the past days, which is the main cause behind the government’s decision to ban travel to and from certain cities.

The government official noted that since the announcement of the gradual reduction in the state of health emergency restrictions, the eight provinces and prefectures concerned by the travel ban (Tangier, Tetouan, Fez, Meknes, Casablanca, Berrechid, Settat and Marrakech) have witnessed a considerable increase in cases of Covid-19 contamination.

On the decision announced by the Ministries of Interior and of Health, Ait Taleb said he understood the “anger” shown by some citizens, affirming, however, that the virus “does not give deadlines”.

The Minister welcomed the unwavering commitment of citizens during the quarantine period and called for an equally rigorous commitment to curb as much as possible the spread of the virus, affirming that the health security of citizens remains “the priority”.

Thanks to the High directives of HM King Mohammed VI, Morocco was able to face the virus by adopting the appropriate health measures, he said, calling on citizens to correctly wear a face mask indoors, to ventilate spaces, to frequently wash hands and to respect social distancing.

“The citizens must show responsibility and patriotism, in particular as the Eid Al Adha is nearing, he said, stressing that they are called upon to limit contact with people at risk.

In addition, Ait Taleb considered that a return to quarantine restrictions is a difficult decision given its negative repercussions on all sectors of activity, and that collective responsibility remains the only solution for this health crisis.

The Minister of Health also praised all the efforts made by specialists in the sector, citing, in this regard, the case of the 154 health executives who were infected with the virus while on duty, assuring that their state of health is “stable and not serious”.