Casablanca Neighborhoods Closed as COVID-19 Cases Surge Amid Ramadan Gatherings

Casablanca is by far the city most affected by the pandemic in the kingdom. Despite this, the people of Casablanca are trampling on the prevention guidelines. To avoid the worst, the local authorities proceeded on Wednesday, May 13 to close several neighborhoods, informs Hespress. These include the large Al Qods boulevard or Zerktouni. According to the same source, these places have experienced abnormal traffic during this Ramadan month, while confinement is still in effect.

According to the confidences of a resident of Al Qods, "normally, Bd Al Qods is very lively, very animated. But since the beginning of confinement, given the psychosis that has set in among people, the boulevard has been deserted. However, and since the beginning of the holy month, there has been abnormal movement. The boulevard has filled up again, the souks and large stores have been invaded and people have started going out as if nothing had happened. For me, the reaction of the authorities is justified, even if it comes a little late".

According to the authorities, the closure of Boulevard Al Qods in the Ain Chock district is justified. Here, an increase in confirmed cases of covid-19 was recorded following the funeral of a young man, putting the prevention measures and awareness-raising to the test. Faced with this observation, the head of the Ain Chock administrative annex was suspended, pending the results of the administrative investigation underway to determine the responsibilities. In downtown Casablanca, the large Zerktouni boulevard did not escape the closure. According to the testimonies of some residents who confided in Hespress, some citizens allowed themselves to go out to do their shopping "as a family" or even "to enjoy a car ride", thus risking their lives and those of others.

Before Casablanca, several neighborhoods of the capital Rabat also suffered the wrath of the public authorities for the same reasons. These include the "Takadom" and "Nahda" neighborhoods. All these firm measures have not failed to provoke reactions among Internet users who, unanimously, condemned the attitude of the populations, while calling on the law enforcement to "lock down the high-density neighborhoods and deploy armored military vehicles to enforce strict confinement and control crowd movements".