Morocco Enforces Strict Vaccine Pass Checks in Public Spaces, Sparking Controversy

Today, the health pass is mandatory everywhere in Morocco. Whether it’s going to a cafe, a restaurant, accessing public transport, shopping malls, supermarkets, the customer has the obligation to present a vaccine pass at the entrance. This is a requirement of the government to force the hand of those who are still hesitant to receive their dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The decision is having trouble passing among Moroccans who condemn a measure taken without any prior notice, reports Hespress.

The authorities do not intend to back down in the application of this measure. This is why inspections are being carried out in these places to ensure that the owners of these establishments strictly comply with the instructions given.

The decision to impose a health pass is causing a reaction from professionals in the tourism sector who fear a drop in their turnover. "From Wednesday to Thursday, October 21, we recorded about 20 booking cancellations. These are customers who call to book a table for 4 or 5, but once we tell them about the obligation of the pass, they cancel because one of their friends doesn’t have one. In addition to the imposition of the curfew at 11 p.m., the obligation of the pass considerably reduces our revenue, which does not allow us to pay our expenses," confides a restaurant owner in Casablanca.

On this issue, the president of the National Association of Cafe and Restaurant Owners of Morocco, Noureddine Harrak, finds that imposing the vaccine pass is one measure too many, especially since restaurateurs were barely getting by with the curfew and barrier measures. He rejects this government decision. For him, we cannot impose on restaurateurs the control of the vaccine pass.

"We cannot start to prevent our customers from accessing the restaurant just because they are not vaccinated. It is inconceivable. It is not our role. It is up to the authorities to manage this vaccination aspect. It’s easy to say, but hard to apply in Morocco. Let’s not forget that there is a large category of young citizens who refuse to get vaccinated," he confides.

In the press release informing of the decision, the government indicated that all public and private sector managers must ensure the implementation of all these measures, under their direct legal responsibility