December 14, 2020
End of year holidays: Thousands of tourists expected in Morocco
Opening of hotels, cafés and restaurants, multiplication of air links… Reinvigorated by the slowing down of the coronavirus epidemic and the prospect of a vaccine, Morocco is preparing to welcome tourists for holidays with a new perfume.
Even if the state of health emergency has been extended until January 10,2021 and that restrictions still weigh on certain cities, Morocco is fine-tuning its postcard décor to welcome tourists for the end of the year celebrations, counting on last minute reservations to confirm an already obvious interest.
While the borders remain theoretically closed, Morocco allows travellers to enter on condition that they produce a negative PCR test within 72 hours (except for children under 11 years old) and a confirmed reservation for a classified hotel and tourist establishment, including riads. Travellers are also required to carry a health information sheet upon arrival.
On return, adults and children over 11 years of age are required to provide the results of a PCR test less than 72 hours old (otherwise they will be denied boarding), a certificate of international travel waiver and a sworn statement. The tests are carried out by private laboratories which provide the results within 24 to 48 hours and can travel to hotels in certain cities.
Agadir, Essaouira and Marrakech, contrasting situations
While the number of weekly contaminations has been falling steadily for the past three weeks and Morocco is preparing to begin a vaccination campaign, health pressure remains high. General measures – wearing a mask under penalty of a fine of around 300 dirhams, physical distancing and strict protocols in public places – remain in force everywhere, but certain cities such as Casablanca or Agadir are subject to more restrictive measures: curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., closure of markets at 3 p.m., restaurants and cafés at 8 p.m.
In Agadir in particular, the extension of beach closures for a fortnight was announced on 5 December, leading to a cascade of cancellations in hotels hosting surfers. While 65% of the park is operational, however, professionals expect the restrictions to be lifted from 19 December if the health situation improves, and the city is preparing for the end-of-year festivities.
In Marrakech as in Essaouira, the constraints are lighter. Discotheques and casinos in the ochre city keep their doors closed, but cafes and restaurants can stay open until 11pm. Golf courses are accessible as well as spas (except hammams for the most part). Life is back to almost normal.
Most of the restaurants have reopened in the ochre city, especially in the Hivernage district, a stronghold of nightlife. As well as cultural venues, the Majorelle garden, the Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech museum (mYSLm) and art galleries. New addresses, boutiques and designer cafés are even springing up. Transport between cities, subject to authorisation, is also facilitated if you go through the concierge service of your hotel or the excursion office.
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.
December 13, 2020
Peru suspends clinical trials of Sinopharm vaccine expected in Morocco
Peru has temporarily suspended clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Chinese giant Sinopharm after detecting neurological problems in one of its volunteers.
It is the same vaccine tested by Morocco, which has not reported any side effects, and is planned to be used in a nationwide vaccination campaign targeting nearly 25 million people from the end of December to March 2021.
The Peruvian National Health Institute said on December 11 that it had decided to halt the process after a volunteer had difficulty moving his arms, according to local media.
“Several days ago we reported, as we requested, to the regulatory authorities that one of our (trial) participants was showing neurological symptoms that could be consistent with a condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome,” said lead researcher German Malaga in his comments to the press.
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare and non-contagious disease that affects the movement of arms and legs. Peru declared a temporary health emergency in five regions in June last year following multiple cases.
In the 1970s, a campaign to vaccinate Americans against a supposedly devastating strain of swine flu stopped after about 450 of those vaccinated developed the syndrome, which can also cause paralysis.
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.
December 11, 2020
The high-level meeting between Morocco and Spain postponed to February 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Morocco and Spain agreed on Thursday to postpone the High-Level Meeting until February 2021 due to the current epidemiological situation, a joint statement said. The High-Level Meeting between Morocco and Spain is a crucial meeting for the development of the deep and dense relations of friendship and cooperation between two strategic partners, Morocco and Spain, the statement said. Morocco and Spain have noted that the current epidemiological situation is preventing the High-Level Meeting from being held on the scheduled date with the appropriate health security guarantees for both delegations, the communiqué states. For this reason, the two countries have agreed to postpone the High Level Meeting in Morocco until February 2021, so that it can be held in a fluid manner, incorporating the usual formats that are specific to a meeting of this magnitude, according to the same source. Both governments reaffirm their commitment to continue strengthening the strategic relationship between the two countries, the communiqué concludes.
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.
Back to normal, start of the vaccination campaign, … update with the Minister of Health
Invited this Friday on Info Soir, the Minister of Health Khalid Ai Taleb gave some details on the imminent national vaccination campaign against COVID-19. No less than 17 million doses are expected to be delivered to kick off this unprecedented operation, he said.
“HM the King had announced good news on Tuesday by giving his instructions for the free vaccination against COVID-19, (…) HM the King would like there to be accessibility of the vaccine for all citizens,” said the Health Minister who was answering questions from Ouadih Dada in Rabat.
Asked about the arrival of the vaccines ordered by the Kingdom, the Minister assured that the shipment has still not been delivered. “We want to have more than 17 million doses,” said the Minister, explaining at the same time that the start of the campaign depends mainly on the date of delivery of vaccines.
Moreover, regarding a return to normal life in Morocco in the near future, the Minister replied that “to achieve herd immunity, it will be necessary to vaccinate more than 60% of the Moroccan population. With the Guidelines of HM the King, we have planned a short-term campaign (…) it should also be noted that this is a campaign in the environment of COVID-19 and that immunity will only be achieved when the majority of the population has been reached (…) a return to normalcy can only be gradual”.
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.
December 10, 2020
The US recognises for the first time Morocco’s full sovereignty over its southern provinces (Royal Cabinet)
HM King Mohammed VI had a telephone conversation with Donald Trump, President of the United States of America.
Here is a press release from the Royal Cabinet:
“His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, today had a telephone conversation with His Excellency Donald TRUMP, President of the United States of America.
This meeting was an opportunity for the two Heads of State to consult on regional and international issues of common interest. It was an opportunity to announce the historic decision of the United States of America to recognize the full and complete Moroccanness of the Kingdom over its Sahara. This decision is the fruit of intense consultations on the subject between the two Heads of State for several years. Indeed, President Trump issued on the same day a presidential decree, with what this act entails as undeniable legal and political force and with immediate effect, on the decision of the United States of America to recognize, for the first time in their history, the full sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over the entire region of the Moroccan Sahara. Within this framework, and as the first concrete expression of its sovereign initiative of great importance, the United States of America decided to open a consulate in Dakhla, with an essentially economic vocation, with a view to encouraging American investments and contribution to economic and social development, for the benefit in particular of the inhabitants of the southern provinces. On this occasion, the Sovereign expressed, in His Name and in the name of all the Moroccan people, to the American President His deep gratitude to the United States of America for this historic position.
His Majesty the King also conveyed his sincere thanks to the American President and his team for this frank and unambiguous support to the Moroccan Sahara; a support that strengthens the powerful strategic partnership between the two countries and raises it to the level of a true alliance that encompasses all fields. His Majesty the King stressed that although the opportunity did not present itself to meet directly with His Excellency the President, consultations and coordination have continued, especially since the visit of His Excellency Mr. Jared Kushner, Special Advisor to His Excellency, in May 2018, which was decisive on various issues, including this subject; as well as through contacts, exchange of delegations and a number of unofficial visits. This constructive position of the United States of America reinforces the dynamics of the consecration of the Moroccan Sahara, confirmed by the positions of support by a group of friendly countries, as well as by the decisions of many countries to open consulates in our Southern Provinces. It also comes after the decisive and effective intervention of the Royal Armed Forces in the Guerguerat area, in order to maintain security and stability in this part of the Moroccan territory, and to ensure the free movement of people and goods with the brotherly African countries.
During the same meeting, His Majesty the King and His Excellency the American President exchanged views on the current situation in the Middle East region. In this regard, His Majesty the King referred to the constant and balanced positions of the Kingdom of Morocco on the Palestinian question, stressing that Morocco supports a solution based on two states living side by side in peace and security, and that negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides remain the only way to achieve a final, lasting and comprehensive settlement of this conflict.
In his capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, emanating from the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, His Majesty the King stressed the need to preserve the special status of this city. The Sovereign also insisted on respect for the freedom to practice religious rites for the followers of the three monotheistic religions, as well as respect for the Muslim character of Al-Quds Asharif and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in accordance with the Al-Quds/Jerusalem Appeal signed by His Majesty the King, Commander of the Faithful, and His Holiness Pope Francis during His Holiness’ visit to Rabat on 30 March 2019. In view of the historic role that Morocco has always played in bringing the peoples of the region closer together and in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, and given the special ties that unite the Jewish community of Moroccan origin, including in Israel, in the person of His Majesty the King, the Sovereign informed the U.S. President that Morocco intends :
- To grant authorizations for direct flights for the transport of members of the Moroccan Jewish community and Israeli tourists to and from Morocco ;
- Resume official contacts with counterparts and diplomatic relations as soon as possible;
- Promote innovative relations in the economic and technological fields, including, to this end, working towards the reopening of liaison offices in both countries, as was the case previously and for several years until 2002.
His Majesty the King stressed that these measures in no way affect Morocco’s permanent and sustained commitment to the just Palestinian cause and its determination to continue to contribute effectively and constructively to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. His Majesty the King and the US President then referred to the efforts made to resolve the crisis at the level of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
In this regard, His Majesty the King expressed the hope that the positive developments recorded would lead to the achievement of the desired reconciliation”. (MAP).
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.
Violence against women: Civil society mobilises for the 16 Days of Activism campaign
Exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19, these acts are often motivated by economic insecurity and the pressure of social isolation. In this context of the pandemic, women and girls are victims of abuse that also occurs in the family environment. It is in this sense that the Policy centre for the New South has organised on 8 December 2020 a distance meeting bringing together experts and civil society actors in parallel with the international campaign of the sixteen days of activism against gender-based violence (taking place from 25 November to 10 December).
Raising awareness among those most concerned and strengthening the protection mechanism
“Many women and girls are unaware of the violence against them. And so within the framework of Global Shapers, they are put into role-playing situations to make them aware of these issues”, notes Amina Achour, a member of Global Shapers, highlighting the different aspects of these abuses which manifest themselves on the psychological, economic and social levels. Speaking at the webinar, Abdelatif Mounir, Executive Director of the National Council for Human Rights, recalled that the violent behaviour suffered by women is a violation of human rights, citing the various international treaties defining this scourge which he described as “structural”.
On this basis, the fight against violence against women must be strengthened at the legislative level and at the national level, many efforts have been made at this level, particularly at the legal and institutional levels. The expert refers, inter alia, to the structures created for women’s rights and the provisions of the Constitution that enshrine this issue.
A political priority
For her part, Nezha Chekrouni, former Minister Delegate to the Minister of Employment, Vocational Training, Social Development and Solidarity, in charge of the Status of Women, Family and Child Protection, stressed the fact that the gender approach makes sense in this particular context of COVID-19. She explained that the confrontation between men and women is rooted in a social and cultural construction that feeds inequality between men and women in Moroccan society. In addition to this, new aspects of violence against women have emerged with social networks and the development of the Internet. As a result, cyberviolence against women is increasingly widespread. “Digital platforms have become a space which contains violence of a different kind and it is important to understand its different facets”. Furthermore, she said that globally violence against women is a real obstacle to sustainable development and peace in a society, explaining that it is time to put this central issue at the heart of the political agenda and give it the priority it deserves.
For Nezha Chekrouni, the whole of society must be mobilised to counter this scourge because the repercussions of these abuses affect society as a whole, undermine the social project we want and hinder the achievement of sustainable development objectives (SDOs). “The COVID-19 pandemic has made the world realise that tomorrow’s society is not going to resemble the society of the past and therefore we are faced with a unique opportunity to move forward,” notes the former minister. As a reminder, long before the world was hit by this pandemic, violence against women and girls had reached high levels.
Worldwide, 243 million women and girls were abused by their partners in the past year. Fewer than 40% of women victims of violence report it or seek help. While countries are implementing measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, violence against women, particularly domestic violence, has increased – in some countries, calls to help lines have increased fivefold. In some situations, survivors find it difficult to seek help and support.
For more information, please see (in French) the following link.
Health of migrants during the COVID-19 period: Morocco co-organises a high level panel in Geneva
The Permanent Mission of Morocco to the United Nations Office at Geneva held on Thursday a high-level panel discussion on “Improving access to health care for migrants in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic”. The event was attended by a plethora of senior officials from international organizations, experts and diplomats.
Initiated in a virtual format as part of the commemoration of Universal Health Coverage Day, the panel, co-organized with Portugal, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and Friends of Migration, examined the impact of the health crisis on migrants and displaced persons, as well as ways to promote the care and health management of migrants and displaced persons in the particular context of the new coronavirus pandemic.
The panel, which illustrates Morocco’s leadership on the issue of migration, was also an opportunity to present the proactive policy initiated by the Kingdom to promote social support for migrants and guarantee the accessibility of health services to these people, in addition to the solidarity actions undertaken by Morocco to support African countries in their efforts to combat the pandemic.
Speaking at this event, which was enhanced by the participation of the Director General of the IOM, Antonio Vitorino, and the President of IFRC, Francesco Rocca, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations Office at Geneva and International Organisations, Omar Zniber, noted that in order to overcome the current global health crisis, migrants and displaced persons must be taken into account in the global response to COVID-19, with particular attention to marginalised populations or those in vulnerable situations.
A key commitment to ensure universal health coverage
He noted that the impact of the pandemic appears to be exacerbated for migrants, especially women, girls and children, and further amplified in contexts of vulnerability, conflict and emergency.
In addition to the health risks, COVID-19 gave rise to a wide range of challenges for migrants, refugees and human mobility, including loss of employment and livelihoods, reduced remittances, discrimination, increased xenophobia and stigmatization, he enumerated.
He further stressed that “ensuring non-discriminatory access to health care is a key aspect in achieving the commitment of universal health coverage”.
He continued: “With the news of promising vaccines, we need urgent and dedicated efforts to ensure equitable access to a COVID-19 vaccine for migrants and displaced persons, especially communities with fragile health systems”.
These efforts should also include effective awareness and information campaigns to combat misinformation and fear, ensuring that information is provided in languages understood by migrant communities and in an appropriate manner,” he said.
Morocco: free access to health services for migrants during the pandemic
Mr. Zniber said, on the other hand, that migrants also play a leading role in global research and development centres in the fight against COVID-19, citing the example of three scientists of Moroccan and Turkish origin who are recognized in the development of the most promising vaccines, at least in the United States and Germany.
Regarding the experience of Morocco, he noted that more than 50,000 regular migrants living in the Kingdom benefit from access to public health care and other public services. “In addition, about 6757 refugees and 3393 asylum seekers living in Morocco, registered by UNHCR, also have access to public health services,” he said.
In May 2020, he recalled, the National Council of the Moroccan Medical Association and the UNHCR signed a partnership agreement, which allows refugees and asylum seekers to access free health services during the period of the pandemic.
Returning to the strategy announced by HM King Mohammed VI and aimed at providing social protection to all Moroccans, he indicated that this decisive process for the extension of social coverage to all Moroccans will be carried out over the next five years and will of course also concern migrants and refugees.
He also highlighted the action deployed by Morocco since the outbreak of the pandemic, providing substantial support to several African countries and also to certain Arab states such as Lebanon and Palestine.
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.
December 09, 2020
The Moroccan health system must prepare for future health shocks (experts)
The COVID-19 epidemic has put a strain on the Moroccan health system, and it will probably not be the only upheaval it will have to face. It is therefore an entire ecosystem that will, in the future, have to be able to absorb new shocks and provide care for all patients, regardless of their income. This is the prerequisite on the basis of which discussions began on Tuesday, 8 December, during a webinar entitled “Rethinking the determinants of health policy”, organised by the CDG Institute.
But what are these determinants? What does the term cover? “For a long time, we thought that health was only a matter for the Ministry of Health. But in recent years, we have realised that we now need to broaden the definition of health, which refers to well-being and not just the absence of disease,” explained Rajae El Aouad, a member of the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology and a specialist in biomedical research and public health. She added: “Health is also the result of all the conditions in which individuals are born, grow up, work and age, i.e. all the social and economic determinants that govern the environment in which a person evolves; the economic and socio-cultural context, living conditions, the availability of food, psychosocial and genetic factors, but also macroeconomic and public policies for health, education, social protection… The health system is therefore an integral part of it. »
A system unsuited to the needs and expectations of patients
However, these determinants have been greatly disrupted in the ten months since this health crisis emerged, which has itself led to an economic crisis. Reflections must first of all focus on the work and training of health personnel, and the way the system as a whole perceives the patient, especially in times of crisis, says Professor Gabriel Malka, director of the medical and biological sciences department at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University of Benguérir. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 two months ago. He developed a severe form of the disease and spent 18 days in intensive care. “I spent 18 days thinking about the transformation of the health sector in Morocco, like a retired priest,” he laughs today.
Here are his reflections: “First of all, our hospital system is unsuitable and does not meet patients’ expectations. Nursing is lacking. During these 18 days, I have been very lonely. Loneliness has left its mark on me. I have come to think that it is absolutely necessary to accompany the patients. We have to make this motto the heart of our system: it is not an illness that we treat, but a patient that we treat. Our hospital system has forgotten this. Patients complain of long waiting times, lack of coordination between services, problems accessing care… It’s quite simple: there is no pathway. I also discovered during this hospital stay that there is no staff evaluation. We don’t know how to evaluate our health professionals. So we have to rethink the health professions, especially doctors and paramedical staff; we can no longer train them as we used to. Finally, we will have to decompartmentalise the health system as a whole and no longer make a split between the private and public sectors. A two-headed system must be favoured, so that the public and private sectors work together because, for the moment, there is no coordination structure. The aim, in the end, is to return to this essential prerequisite: the patient is at the heart of the system, and the quality of care and management is a compass. »
Soon to be a national public health agency in Morocco
“There are indeed lessons to be learned from this health crisis,” Rajae El Aouad agrees. This professor of immunology believes that the private sector was too late in the strategy to fight against COVID-19 in Morocco. “We were among the first countries to react very early to this pandemic, by confining the population, but we did not deploy all the capacities of the hospital system early enough. The private sector should have been involved from the beginning,” she says. “The first phase of the crisis was indeed managed by the public sector because it is always the model that is put on the front line,” added Saad Taoujni, a lawyer specialising in public, health and social security law, teacher and consultant in health management and financing.
After noting the shortcomings of the Moroccan health system at the time of COVID-19, the speakers identified several avenues for reflection to remedy these shortcomings. One of the opportunities that Morocco might have recourse to in the future, perhaps lies in the setting up of a health monitoring system to forecast future epidemics, “because we will have others and we will have to be ready to deal with them”, emphasised Gabriel Malka.
Rajae El Aouad said that the Ministry of Health “is currently working on a project to create a national public health agency, the equivalent of a health watch institute”. The file has been confined to the drawers of the ministry since 2011-2012, but it has been reactivated in view of the health crisis, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance. “Health monitoring and surveillance are regalian prerogatives; they are functions that can only be entrusted to the State. In view of what this epidemic has taught us and what we know about the evolution of emerging diseases in the future, we will have to be able to anticipate the mutations of viruses. Universities can obviously contribute in the field of research and development,” said Rajae El Aouad.
In this sense, Gabriel Malka indicated that the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University has a laboratory that is currently working on polyclonal antibodies, i.e. antibodies that contain a mixture of several other antibodies. “This is a therapeutic alternative that will have to be developed in the future, in order to find a solution for patients who will not be able to benefit from a vaccine due to genetic predispositions,” he said.
Tax reforms needed to improve the health system
The overhaul of Morocco’s health system to cope with the next health shocks also requires an overhaul of health spending, argued Bert Brys, an economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). “At present, the rate of public spending on health in Morocco is low, at around 5% of GDP. Moreover, less than 50% of health expenditure is financed by taxes and social contributions, which means that more than half of this expenditure is borne by households themselves. For us, this private spending is an implicit tax levied on the most vulnerable people. Health spending must therefore be made more efficient, including by collecting more tax revenue to finance it,” recommended Bert Brys.
Yes, but how? The OECD economist suggests four ways: “First and foremost, it is important that contributions are the same for public and private workers. The share of contributions for public sector workers should be increased to bring them in line with private sector workers. Secondly, self-employed workers should be introduced into the health insurance scheme and the funding of the CNSS and CNOPS should be increased, as the latter is currently experiencing a deterioration in its financial balances. Finally, the rate of the active population must be increased, especially the participation of women in the labour market. »
However, Bert Brys is cautious, but not pessimistic, about the feasibility of these measures: “These reforms alone will not be enough to provide the additional funds that the Moroccan health system needs. The COVID-19 crisis has indeed generated a significant budget deficit that will have to be financed in the coming years. It is a substantial deficit in view of the low tax revenues that Morocco is managing to mobilise for the moment. »
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.
COVID-19: In Tetouan, preparations for the vaccination operation are complete
All the preparations for the vaccination operation against COVID-19 at the Tetouan Health Delegation have been completed.
This is what Dr. Boulaich Abdennor, head doctor of the health facilities network (SRES) department, stressed this Monday, December 14, at the Boujarrah first level health centre.
“All the preparations at the level of the Tetouan Health Delegation have been completed and we are ready to welcome the people who will benefit from the operation of vaccination against COVID-19,” Dr. Boulaich told MAP.
A total of 39 health centres have been selected in the province of Tetouan to host this vaccination operation, in addition to 8 support centres, including socio-cultural and sports centres in the province. Mobile medical teams will travel to rural areas to bring this operation closer to the local population.
In this respect, Dr. Boulaich specified that all the health structures mobilized in urban and rural areas must ensure the smooth running of the health care they provide to their patients, including the vaccination of children, family planning, the monitoring of pregnancy and childbirth, and the fight against chronic diseases, in addition to the vaccination operation against COVID-19.
The number of beneficiaries of this operation should reach 210 people per day and per health structure in the province of Tetouan, he noted, noting that a medical staff of about 40 doctors and about 70 nurses will be mobilized as part of this action.
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.
COVID-19 Morocco: Virus reproduction rate drops to 0.92
The reproduction rate (R0) of COVID-19 has declined slightly over the last two weeks to reach 0.92 last Sunday, said Tuesday in Rabat an official of the Ministry of Health.
Presenting the bimonthly assessment of the epidemiological situation, the head of the communicable diseases division at the ministry’s epidemiology and disease control directorate, Abdelkrim Meziane Belfkih, stressed that the weekly epidemiological curve relating to COVID-19 in Morocco has been declining until December 6.
This downward trend was indeed observed in particular in the region of Oriental (-25%), Drâa-Tafilalet (-22%), Guelmim-Oued Noun (-21%), Casablanca-Settat (-14%), Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (-5%), Marrakech-Safi (-5%), Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra (-2%) and Fès-Meknès (-1%). On the other hand, the weekly epidemiological curve increased in the regions of Beni Mellal-Khénifra (+17%) and Souss-Massa (+8%).
As for the death curve, it has fallen over the last two weeks by 3.6%.
In addition, Morocco has carried out more than 4 million PCR screening tests, making it the 2nd largest country in the continent and 36th in the world in this field.
Worldwide, the number of positive cases was 67,493,598 up to 7 December, representing a cumulative incidence rate of 866 per 100,000 inhabitants.
The number of deaths recorded was 1,543,629, a case-fatality rate of 2.3%, he added, adding that the number of people cured reached about 46,689,337, a cure rate of 69.2%.
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.
December 08, 2020
King Mohammed VI extends free vaccination against COVID-19 to all Moroccans
The Ministry of Health had previously stopped free vaccination for the most disadvantaged. King Mohammed VI has instructed the government to adopt free vaccination against the COVID-19 epidemic for the benefit of all Moroccans. This royal gesture is part of the Sovereign’s plan to launch a massive vaccination campaign against the epidemic in the coming weeks. It aims to guarantee the vaccine for all Moroccans as an adequate means of immunising themselves against the virus and containing its spread with a view to a gradual return of citizens to their normal lives in peace and security, explains a statement from the Royal Cabinet.
It should be recalled that the King had chaired a working session on November 9 on the strategy of vaccination against COVID-19, which is part of the continuous monitoring by the Sovereign of the evolution of this pandemic and measures to fight against its spread and protect the health and safety of citizens, concludes the press release. The Ministry of Health had previously stopped free vaccination for the most disadvantaged. The anti-COVID-19 vaccine is among the vaccines that are reimbursable for people with medical coverage either from an insurance company or from the organizations managing the AMO, had assured Minister Khalid Ait Taleb. The royal decision therefore extends this free vaccination to the entire population without distinction.
For more information, please consult (in French) the following link.
