Morocco to Ease COVID Restrictions, Reopen Universities After Year-Long Closure

Moroccans are holding their breath and hoping that the announcement of the easing of restrictive measures related to the pandemic will not be postponed as it has been in the past. Several experts had called on the government to authorize a return to normal life, especially with the anti-Covid vaccination rate reached. The call seems to have been heard by the government, which plans to free the Moroccans.

Regarding the resumption of face-to-face classes and the opening of university spaces, including university campuses, Saïd Amzazi, spokesperson for the outgoing government and Minister of National Education, told Hespress that "the easing of restrictive measures, in relation to the education system, is just a matter of hours in order to decide on the various details of the resumption of the school and university season". He stresses that the Ministry of National Education is "determined to open the university quarters".

Saïd Amzazi specified that the Ministry of National Education is ready and is only waiting for the decision of the public authorities regarding the easing of measures. However, the reopening of university campuses will be done under well-defined conditions. "The university campus remains a living space for students. This implies stopping on the smallest details regarding the opening of the doors of the campuses, starting with the number of people per room, or whether the normal formula will be adopted or rather that of reducing the capacity to 50%." He insists that "the success of the university start-up requires the opening of university campuses".

Finally, the Minister of National Education said that the decision to resume university classes was not made on a whim. It took into account "several positive data, namely the increase in the number of vaccinated people and the improvement of the epidemiological situation, unlike last year, when the conditions were not favorable, which prompted the authorities to close the university campuses".