Scientific committee expects Moroccan borders to be open by end of January

As Moroccans eagerly await the government’s decision regarding the reopening of borders, the National Scientific Committee expects that the closure decision will not be extended, as all scientific indications indicate that “there will be no need for that,” according to Hespress sources.

Said Moutawakil, a member of the Scientific Committee stated that “the ministerial committee is the body that takes decisions regarding, but we are expecting for the borders to be opened, especially since the globally prevalent mutant Omicron has already reached Morocco.”

Moutawakil told Hespress AR that “there is no reason to extend the closure of the borders, except if there are other, more severe mutations at the global level.” The border closure mandate is set to end on January 31, if no extension is announced.

The Scientific Committee member expects that the closure would end at the end of the month, with the implementation of accompanying procedures with regard to countries that have a high risk of mutated variants, and that regulation would be implemented as it was before in terms of Moroccan entry conditions.

Morocco has been recording high numbers of daily infections, but apart from border closure, the government has not implemented any additional precautionary measures such as curfews and mandated quarantine.

Various international reports have assured that despite Omicron’s high transmissibility, it does not seem to be more severe than the Delta mutant, and have forecast the Omicron wave will be shorter than the previous ones experienced by the world.

The government is still urging citizens to get vaccinated, to reduce the hospitalisation rates and alleviate the pressure off the national health sector.