Morocco Extends Flight Ban with Spain over COVID-19 Protocol Concerns

Spain represents a "threat" to the Moroccan population due to the "non-compliance with health protocols against Covid-19," the Ministry of Health said in a statement released on Monday, stating that the kingdom will not resume flights to Spain. In this document reported by Europa Press, Morocco accuses the Spanish authorities of not controlling the health status of passengers or the vaccination passport during the boarding process.

To read: article 88681

"The competent Spanish authorities are far from ensuring the rigorous control of the health status of passengers at airports," the Ministry of Health stressed, stating that it has already detected at least 19 positive Covid-19 cases from Spain on private flights, either upon arrival or in transit.

To read: Morocco’s COVID-19 Cases Remain Low Despite Omicron Concerns, Officials Credit Preventive Measures

Morocco closed its airspace on November 29 for two weeks to limit the rapid spread of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron. The measure has since been extended. According to the latest official data, the kingdom has recorded one death in the last 24 hours and 102 new positive cases. More than 22.8 million Moroccans have already received all vaccination doses and more than 2.3 million have received a booster dose.