Morocco Extends COVID-19 Lockdown for Third Month, Shorter Duration Expected

A source close to the government, quoted by Le360, assured that the Head of the Executive will announce the extension of the lockdown on Monday, May 18, 2020, before the two chambers of parliament. For the Head of Government, the Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Leftit and the Minister of Health, Khalid Aït Taleb, spearheads of the national strategy to fight against covid-19, there is no need to go for an early deconfinement.

Even if the reasons for this hesitation are still unknown for the moment, many attribute it to the period of the month of Ramadan. In other words, deconfinement would only be pronounced after the fasting period, in order to avoid the appearance of other covid-19 infection clusters that could arise, particularly on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations.

It should be noted that during this new extension, the second since the entry into force of the state of health emergency on March 20, 2020, the health curfew would be maintained. As for deconfinement, it will be gradual and could even be implemented for certain essential sectors and businesses.