Morocco Halts Seasonal Workers’ Travel to Spain, Citing COVID Concerns

Morocco’s decision not to open its airspace to Spain, which it says does not comply with health protocols against Covid-19 during the boarding of passengers at airports, is likely to affect the departure of the first seasonal workers to Huelva. The board of directors of Asaja-Huelva had raised concerns about the arrival of these seasonal workers due to the cold weather at its meeting on December 9, according to Diario de Huelva.

To read: Cold Snap Delays Strawberry Harvest and Moroccan Workers’ Arrival in Spain

Morocco accuses Spain of not adequately and strictly controlling the health status of passengers and vaccination passports during passenger boarding. In a statement released on Monday, the Moroccan Ministry of Health said that Spain poses a "threat to the Moroccan population due to non-compliance with health protocols against Covid-19", and that as a result, it will not resume flights to Spain.

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

Already 19 positive cases from Spain have been detected in Morocco, the statement adds, noting that "Spain is far from ensuring the rigorous control of the health status of passengers at airports".

This situation has led the kingdom to retain Portugal as the starting point for the repatriation of its citizens stranded in Europe after the suspension of flights decided on November 29 to limit the rapid spread of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron. The measure, initially planned for two weeks, has since been extended.