Morocco Health Expert Urges Caution on Lifting COVID-19 Restrictions

The Covid-19 pandemic is still present and there is no proof that the country is immune to a new wave of contamination, especially since Moroccans are respecting preventive measures less and less. For Mouad Merabet, the chief epidemiologist of the Ministry of Health, interviewed by the newspaper L’Opinion, "even the World Health Organization has criticized the abrupt and brutal lifting of restrictions in Europe". He advises against the total lifting of restrictions, calling for patience so as not to undo the efforts made over many months.

"We can say, according to the data we have, that we are in a lull that is lasting. What is interesting is that the current situation is the best of all that we have experienced in terms of incidence, reproduction rate, positivity, incidence of serious cases and mortality. This shows how much the country has been immunized," he said.

For the epidemiologist, the situation currently being experienced in China should convince us of the need to be wary of abrupt decisions that can have serious consequences. "Yes for a return to normal life, but not in haste," he warned.

Regarding the vaccination campaign, which is currently stagnating, the specialist points out that "the best results were obtained during the Delta wave in the summer of 2021. When people see that mortality has receded so much, it is difficult to convince them to get vaccinated. Yet we can see a relaunch of the campaign in the event of a new variant. The ministry has taken all measures to make vaccination accessible to everyone, in addition to awareness-raising efforts".