Morocco Ramps Up Workplace COVID-19 Testing as Economy Reopens

In a circular dated May 20, the Ministry of Health had announced a massive screening campaign until the end of July or early August. The objective is to detect as early as possible the maximum number of existing coronavirus cases "nationally", as quickly as possible through screening of asymptomatic forms and early diagnosis of pauci-symptomatic (few symptoms) forms.

The "pace of screening in the professional environment has accelerated since the beginning" of the last week of May, confides a source to Medias24. "The pace has more than tripled. For example, one of the laboratories in charge of the covid-19 tests was receiving between 1,000 and 2,000 samples per day. It now receives up to 6,000 samples," the same source said.

The teams of the Ministry of Industry have carried out a study based on data collected from industrial units and dated May 28, 2020. The aim was to know the prevalence of the coronavirus in the industrial environment. "The rate of positive cases in industrial sites is largely below the national average," it is explained. Of all the people tested in the industrial sector, the positive cases represent 2.46% while the national average, according to data from the Ministry of Health, is 4.24%, it is indicated.

In total, 23,729 tests were carried out as of May 28 in industries outside Casablanca, which represent 67% of jobs. The positive cases represent only 1.05% of all tested cases outside Casablanca, or 250 cases. In Casablanca, which accounts for 33% of industrial jobs, the rate of positive cases is 5.33% of all tested cases, it is specified. "On average, for 412 tests performed, there are 22 confirmed cases." Similarly, the majority of diagnosed cases were asymptomatic.