According to the online news journal Le360 the Moroccan government is finally ready to announce a long-awaited report on reopening the borders. The borders could be reopened to international travel if Morocco reaches the peak of the current wave in the coming days.
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The government expects the peak of the Omicron wave in Morocco to be reached in the coming days. “If this peak is reached before the 31st of January, the executive will move towards reopening the borders,” the government source said on condition of anonymity.
Read Also: Closing Its Borders Is Poor Policy! Instead, Morocco Should Fix Its Poor Medical Infrastructure Now
To the question why wait for the peak to be reached before reopening? The source replied that the government wants to eliminate any risk of any possible increase in contamination.
According to Le360 a joint meeting of the ministerial committee and the technical and scientific committee is planned to take place in Rabat soon to assess the pandemic situation. It was noted in the ministerial and scientific committees that the trend to reopen the borders is gaining momentum as the underlying difficulties are enormous for various socio-economic sectors such as tourism, trade, and investment.
Covid-19: Omicron now responsible for 95% of positive cases detected in Morocco
The likelihood of a decision to reopen borders before January 31 is supported by the fact that, according to the Ministry of Health, the Omicron variant is now responsible for 95% of Covid-19 infections in Morocco. However, this variant, although highly contagious, has apparently been shown to be less lethal and less dangerous than Delta.
Some countries, such as Spain, are even exploring the possibility of considering it endemic rather than a pandemic.
Recall that last November Morocco decided to close its air and sea borders due to the spread of the Omicron variant. The closure was later extended to January 31, 2022.
Read Also: Should We Let Omicron Spread to Overtake the Other More Lethal Variants? What Do the Scientists Say?
This closure had a serious impact on many areas of the Moroccan economy, particularly tourism. The reopening of the borders will allow professionals to start working on saving their businesses that are already in many cases on the verge of bankruptcy. However, this may be difficult and, above all, may not be able to withstand another closure of the Kingdom’s borders.
This trend of opening and closing can only be mitigated if the government finally does what is the only viable solution which is to fix the poor health care infrastructure.
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