Health Expert Urges Morocco to Reopen Borders Amid Omicron Concerns

In an op-ed published on social networks, Dr. Tayeb Hamdi stressed that the access to the national territory of fully vaccinated Moroccan citizens or foreigners with a negative PCR test is less epidemiologically risky than the behavior of unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people, who do not adhere to preventive measures, find themselves in cafes and attend public or private gatherings. The expert talks about people who have symptoms of Covid-19 and do not get tested, as well as people who test positive or are contact cases who do not respect the duration and conditions of isolation.

"Given the rapid spread of the virus under these conditions, access to the national territory under the prevailing health conditions does not present an epidemic over-risk," he is convinced. Consequently, Dr. Tayeb Hamdi calls for the reopening of the borders "in accordance with our successful, proactive and anticipatory Moroccan approach based on making decisions based on scientific data to protect Morocco with the least possible impact, consequences and social, psychological, educational and economic damage".

"When we pass the peak of hospital cases in the Casablanca region, we will be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel," he predicts. And he concludes: if the other regions experience an almost similar situation in the coming days and weeks, "we will be able to count on the hospital capacity of Casablanca as a backup option if needed".