Caulked since mid-march, Morocco has decided to opt for a “relief progressive” measures of containment, while maintaining severe restrictions in major cities, prompting some disappointment. The state of public health emergency remains in force. It has been extended by one month, until the 10th of July, in a country now divided in two separate zones taking account of ” differences health between regions “, according to an official statement published in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.

The economic activities which had already taken over to the next day of the Eid-el-Fitr at the end of may, all of this is non-official and very timid in this country of 35 million inhabitants, relatively unaffected by the new coronavirus, with 8 455 contamination and 210 deaths formally documented.

With the extension of the state of emergency, the port of the mask remains mandatory, rallies banned, the mosques, cinemas and theaters closed, restaurants and cafes limited to take-out orders. In short, an extension of the “containment” which does not say its name…

also Read Morocco : Containment”, when you hold us again ! “

A kingdom divided in two zones

The ” zone 1 “, which concerns the least populated regions, small and medium-sized cities, will regain an almost normal life : déconfinement, traffic without a special permit, the reopening of the public spaces in the open air…

The “zone 2” which remains confined until further order encompasses the major cities : the capital Rabat, the economic heart of the country, Casablanca, the main tourist destination of Marrakech or the grand port of Tangier.

much To the disappointment of all those who will have to stay home for an indefinite period of time, the movements still remain subject to special authorization, children will not be able to get out, the practice of outdoor sports will still be prohibited, it will always be impossible to go to the hairdresser.

in recent days, the moroccan media have multiplied calls for the lifting of the confinement, pointing a situation “untenable” for a large segment of the population, especially in high-density areas.

” containment is challenging, but has enabled us to save lives “, has justified the Prime minister, Saad-Eddine El Othmani on Wednesday before the Parliament. “The health indicators are improving. The case fatality rate is 2.5 %, and 92% of the cases are mild or asymptomatic. But the situation differs from one region to another, from time to time a hotbed of contamination appears, ” said the Prime minister in the face of some deputies reassembled. The “zone 2” is composed of 39 % of the country’s population, but is home to 87 % of the contamination cases are officially registered, he said, adding that the worst has been avoided, only 1% of the capabilities of the Kingdom in the emergency services having been used.

“With continued observance of the precautionary measures and distancing, we began the déconfinement, taking into account several parameters at once chronological, geographic, demographic, and epidemiological, the aim being to limit the emergence of new infections and of new outbreaks and prevent the community spread of the virus in regions with sporadic cases and/or small households,” he added.

Read also with Morocco in the face of the coronavirus : “You said “confined” ? “

Morocco in fact it too ?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the kingdom of morocco has opted for a conservative strategy that primarily aims to save the lives and health of citizens before all economic considerations. Today, this approach is criticized, especially as, in the opinion of many, the communication is not always at the rendezvous. “The Moroccans want the lifting of the containment, ( … ), millions of them are impoverished, without prospects,” retorted Abdellatif Ouahbi, at the head of the Party of Authenticity and Modernity (PAM-opposition).

On the social networks, the general tone is to the disappointment, the hashtag #zone1 has taken the top trends on Twitter in Morocco.

” The confidence is now disturbed by the lack of visibility “, said in an article published in the daily Economist researcher Ali Bouabid, in arguing for ” a minimum of transparency “.

In Rabat, police checkpoints, remain deployed, but the streets are more bustling and traffic has resumed to almost normal. Violations of the state health emergency are punishable by three months imprisonment and/or a maximum fine of 1 300 dirhams (around 124 euro). Approximately 91 000 people have been arrested for a violation of a health emergency, and about 4,000 of them in detention, according to the last official report published at the end of may. The NGO Amnesty International has denounced Tuesday the sanctions ” disproportionate “, up to three months in prison, citing “at least five human rights activists and citizen journalists” continued to be “criticized for the peaceful management of the crisis of the Covid-19” by the kingdom.

Read also Coronavirus : Morocco on the go

On the long-awaited reopening of the mosques, it is by a fatwa that the Council of the Ulama, the high authority having the monopoly of consultations with religious, confirms that they will remain tightly closed despite the easing measures. “A fatwa of the supreme Council of the Ulama regarding the closure of the mosques had foreseen that the need is raised by the lifting of its justification, which means that the temporary closure of mosques will be lifted as soon as the return of the epidemiological situation in normal in our country,” says the text.

Uncertainty of borders, the tourism in bern

No announcement has been made, however, on the reopening of the borders, closed since mid-march, so that the tourism industry wanted more visibility and more than 30 000 travellers in morocco, blocked in the four corners of the world, waiting to go home. The deportations began at a snail’s pace for around 1 100 passengers placed in quarantine on arrival.

a key Sector of the moroccan economy, the tourism has seen its revenue plunge. The operators are banking on domestic tourism to boost, but for the time being, travel between cities, are reserved to work with mission order of employer. The first two months of the containment were lost in the united six points of GDP. And according to a recent official survey, one Moroccan out of two people lives with “anxiety” containment required. Rabat has deployed the full panoply of aid for businesses impacted employees to stop working temporarily and the workers of the informal sector. The other strategy, which will be strengthened during this time : the acceleration tests. Of 2 000 per day, the number of tests is increased to 17 500 on a daily basis. A campaign of “mass” screening for the employees of the private has just been launched by the employers to the moroccan and a laboratory mobile testing has been in place Tuesday, June 9, in the region of Casablanca, the economic capital and most affected area.

also Read Morocco : this mask that the Covid-19 is expected to carry the economy

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Coronavirus : Morocco on the go Morocco in the face of the coronavirus : “You said “confined” ? “Morocco : this mask that the Covid-19 is expected to carry the economy Morocco : Containment”, when you hold us again ! “

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