In Morocco, the epidemiological situation has been improving significantly for several months now. Classified in green by France, the Kingdom records an average of less than 100 cases per day without any death, while the cases admitted to intensive care mark a downward trend. And yet, the conditions of access to the country remain draconian in comparison with other destinations, and therefore pose a problem for tourists wishing to visit the country or even MREs wishing to reach the homeland.
In addition, Morocco is preparing to relaunch its tourist activity after two years of agony in the sector, but the conditions of access to the Kingdom remain problematic for both tourists and tourist operators.
Indeed, to access Morocco by air, a negative PCR test of less than 48 hours and a vaccination pass are required before boarding for people aged 18 and over, and a PCR test for children over 6 years. While by sea, only one of the two documents is required, either the test or the pass.
A ” illogical condition” that tourism professionals do not understand and which they are calling for to be abolished, while tourists and MREs do not see any logic in it, especially when they note that a return to normal has gradually been made with the lifting of several restrictive measures, in particular the curfew, the reopening of restaurants and nightclubs, the organization of gatherings, as well as inter-city travel.
In view of the stabilization of the epidemiological situation in our country, in addition to the many criticisms that have accompanied the establishment of these access conditions, the anti-covid scientific and technical committee has communicated its recommendations to adapt the access conditions by air route in the Kingdom to those adopted for the sea route, namely, either a negative PCR test of less than 48 hours or the vaccination pass, tells us a source within the committee.
Solicited by MoroccoLatestNews UKDr. Moulay Said Afif, member of the anti-covid vaccination committee, clarified that scientifically, there is no difference between entering Morocco by sea or by air.
” It is time to put in place the same conditions for access to the Kingdom by sea and by air. Today, we have a PCR test positivity rate of around 1%. Before, out of 100 PCR tests, we had 25 positives. Today, out of 100 tests, only 1 is positive. Then, the occupancy rate of intensive care beds was 15% during the Omicron wave and 50% during the Delta wave. Today, it is around 0.3%. The number of recoveries represents more than 98% while the fatality rate is stable at 1.4%“, advances Dr. Afif.
This member of the Anti-Covid Vaccination Committee also recalls the opening of the stadiums to the public which went well, or the Ramadan period marked this year by the opening of the mosques for the prayer of ” Tarawih“. Reductions in measures which had no impact on the epidemiological situation, he welcomes.
All this pleads for the alleviation of the conditions of access to the Kingdom, argues Dr. Said Afif, noting that ” if the situation becomes more complicated or worse, we can always take the necessary measures thanks to the experience accumulated during these last two years covid“.
” Today, the easing of the conditions of access to Morocco is essential to promote the return of MREs and tourism too, which has taken a big hit from the blows of the pandemic.concludes the specialist.
.