Morocco Urged to Ease Air Travel Restrictions as Tourism Sector Pushes for Recovery

Since April 8, passengers arriving from abroad have been able to enter Morocco by sea with a negative PCR test of less than 72 hours or a valid vaccination pass. This easing of the health protocol does not apply to air travel. Therefore, experts and tourism professionals are calling for the harmonization of the health protocol between air and sea. "From a scientific point of view, there is no reason to have two different protocols for those who return to the country by sea or by air," says Saïd Afif, a pediatrician and member of the National Technical and Scientific Advisory Vaccination Committee. According to him, one cannot ask a family of 6 people to do PCR tests when they are all fully vaccinated. In addition, "the cost of these tests will inflate the family’s expenses," notes the specialist cited by SNRTNews.

Assuring that the epidemiological situation in Morocco is very reassuring, Saïd Moutawakil, an intensive care physician and member of the said committee, believes that it is time to ease the measures for people returning to the kingdom by air and to put an end to these contradictions. "The recommendations have been made for a while, we are waiting for the decision of the officials and the inter-ministerial commission," he adds. According to Moulay Tahar Alaoui, president of the Scientific Committee for the Management of the Covid-19 Crisis, this decision cannot be taken lightly. "It’s an entire logistics that needs to be put in place," he says, calling for caution. "The epidemiological situation is reassuring, but we must remain cautious. It only takes infected people returning to the country to contaminate a large number of citizens," notes the specialist.