Morocco Begins Repatriation of 500 Citizens Stranded in Melilla Amid Pandemic

The decision to repatriate these Moroccan nationals blocked for two months in Melilla comes the day after the death of a 35-year-old Moroccan woman who would have succumbed to a stroke, according to the Spanish news agency EFE, which points out that "the operation will be organized in two stages".

200 people were repatriated in a first wave, and the remaining 300 will be part of a second wave. Once on Moroccan territory, "these people will subsequently be transferred to the tourist city of Saïdia, about 80 kilometers east of Melilla, to be placed in quarantine in several hotels in this city".

Friday evening, the first group, made up of women and children, arrived and four buses were able to transport them to the site in question, under the supervision of the local authorities. "They will be quarantined for two weeks and undergo medical tests and examinations, in accordance with the medical protocol adopted by the Ministry of Health." The second group, made up of the elderly and chronically ill, as well as young people and adults, will follow in the next few hours.