Morocco Extends COVID State of Emergency Despite Calls for Normalization

"The recommendations issued by the Scientific Committee on Coronavirus are no longer towards rigor. We submitted a proposal to reconsider the health emergency two months ago, but without interaction," Rachid Hamouni, head of the Progress and Socialism team in the House of Representatives, told Hespress. According to him, the decision to extend the state of health emergency (from April 30 at 6 p.m. until May 31 at 6 p.m.) is strange given the opening of borders, mosques and stadiums, with many other mitigation measures.

"The state of emergency no longer makes any sense, and it must be withdrawn," Nabila Mounib, secretary general of the Unified Socialist Party (PSU), also lashed out. To support her words, she explained that many experts believe that the world has entered the phase of coexistence with the epidemic. "The current situation does not call for this extension," added the politician, noting that "the issue was understood at the beginning of the virus, without knowing all the details, but now it turns out that it is not dangerous."

According to her, the State is aware of this file, and has allowed many spaces to relax, but it wants to exploit the state of emergency to restrict freedoms and serious oppositions, as well as perpetuate the absence of a real health strategy.