Morocco Health Minister Warns of Potential Second COVID-19 Wave Amid Public Laxity

Khalid Ait Taleb is concerned that the relaxation at the population level will push "the virus to become more virulent and more deadly". A situation that could lead to a second period of confinement. Even if Morocco has made courageous efforts and taken responsible decisions in the management of the disease, which have propelled it to 63rd place worldwide in terms of the number of infections and the mortality rate, the Minister of Health believes that caution must be exercised, especially during the next autumn and winter seasons.

This is why the recent appearance of major outbreaks of contamination in several cities of the Kingdom has prompted the minister to declare on Tuesday, before the Social Affairs Commission of the House of Advisors, that we must remain vigilant and especially concerned about health security measures. However, the minister stressed that, overall, "the situation was under control for the moment".

Calls for observance of barrier gestures have multiplied in recent days. This is the case of Tayeb Hamdi, the chief executive of the National Union of General Practitioners. He explained that "some unconscious behaviors risk causing a second wave of the virus, more virulent and more deadly, and the situation could get out of control".

For the minister, it is above all a question of "maintaining a low mortality rate and the protection measures intended to curb the epidemic".