Morocco’s Human Rights Council Urges Government to Address Vaccine Pass Concerns

This measure is still causing a lot of discontent and injustice in the administrations, says the CNDH, referring in a letter to the government, to the cases of vulnerable groups, in particular the elderly, women and inhabitants of isolated villages, who have had difficulties downloading the vaccination passport, but also to transport, blocked businesses, without alternative measures.

Similarly, continues the CNDH, the situation has created a gap in the treatment of public administrations and private companies concerning the status of employees and employees who do not have the right to be vaccinated.

As a result, the National Human Rights Council has recommended to the government to:

• Strengthen communication and advice to unvaccinated citizens, in order to achieve collective protection against Covid-19,

• Work to ensure access for citizens to public places, particularly places of public interest, which cannot be restricted without a decision and without taking the necessary transitional measures, without prejudice to the rights of individuals and groups to benefit from public services,

• Replace the "vaccination passport" with a "health passport", which can certify vaccination by:

• a negative declaration certificate in accordance with the modalities of its powers;

• A medical certificate proving recovery from Covid according to the specified criteria;

• A medical certificate proving that it is not possible to be vaccinated, issued by the attending physician, for reasons specified medically and scientifically;

• Determine a reasonable time frame to allow citizens to adapt to the measures (whether by taking the first and second dose or by obtaining medical certificates...) and to allow the authorities to provide the relevant technical means (certificate of receipt of the first dose, health passport, etc.);

• Study the possibilities of easing the additional restrictions applied on the basis of the adoption of the health passport.

Furthermore, the CNDH welcomed the general mobilization around the vaccination campaign and suggests such a dynamic around the implementation of the directives related to the vaccine pass.