Ramadan Markets in Casablanca Empty as COVID-19 Restrictions Impact Shopping

19 April 2020 – bySylvanus@Bladi · 1 min read

A few days before the start of the month of Ramadan, the markets are deserted. Food products are available, but there are very few buyers.

Merchants are struggling to sell their products: dates, chebbakia and other spices. Customers are becoming increasingly rare in the city of Casablanca, observes Le360. Yet these are highly prized products among Moroccans, especially during the Ramadan period.

According to the merchants, this situation is explained by the state of health emergency imposed by the authorities since March 20 last, in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the kingdom. Another explanation: households prefer to focus on the essentials, in these times of confinement.

In Morocco, the month of fasting will probably begin on April 24 or 25.