By relying on scientists who don’t even agree with each other about whether the border should be opened, the government of Morocco is tying its hands and exposing its country to unprecedented economic and social hardships.
Coronavirus Travel
The government of Morocco needs to get rid of its fear-based and COVID Phobic policies. It had not been scientifically proven that the virus was only circulating at airports, ports, and land border crossings. Those who believe that COVID-19 with all its variants has appeared and will disappear in three or four years are very much mistaken. Those who believe that closing the borders will neutralize these tiny viruses, which are capable of sneaking in and multiplying and growing anywhere, are also deluded.
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Moroccan officials who closed the border as soon as the Omicron variant appeared in South Africa learned this the hard way. They discovered that the first case had infected a woman from Casablanca who had never set foot in an airport. The government and members of the scientific and technical committees of the Department of Health rightly fear that the health system will collapse with the spread of this virus. But it should be noted that excessive fear causes crippling illnesses, both physical and mental, and threatens the country with dire economic and social consequences.
Morocco is one of only a couple of countries that are still closing their borders because of the Omicron variant. This was not a good move as Morocco is not economically and socially robust enough to afford to close its borders repeatedly and for long periods of time. Every minute of this introversion is costing the Moroccan economy dearly, with consequences for investment, exports, and imports, as well as for a tourism sector that has been severely damaged and is currently on its last breath. Ironically, in an incomprehensible move, the government has allocated a budget of 21.5 million dollars to support tourism, without having the slightest idea of the date of the opening of the borders.
Read Also: Closing Its Borders Is Poor Policy! Instead, Morocco Should Fix Its Poor Medical Infrastructure Now
It is also incomprehensible that, at this difficult time, the kingdom is making great efforts to attract investors in the automotive industry, aeronautics, the energy sector, and the green economy, while at the same time giving a general mandate to scientific commissions to decide the fate of 38 million Moroccans. By relying on scientists who do not even agree with each other, the government is in effect tying its hands and expecting others to decide for it. But opening the borders for business, revitalizing the economy, and fighting the drought are the responsibilities of the government, not of one or two temporary commissions.
*Disclaimer: Gilmore Health Does not Endorse The views in this Article!
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