Royal Air Maroc Flight Raises COVID Safety Concerns as Passengers Flout Protocols

The facts date back to November 5 at the Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca when a passenger on a RAM flight made worrying observations, reports Médias24. According to him, no one was responsible at the terminal level to take the passengers’ temperatures. The same observation was made at the baggage check-in area as well as in front of the aircraft cabin. For the witness of this dramatic incident that took place in the presence of ONDA authorities and RAM officials, no one was playing the policeman to enforce the barrier measures.

Regarding the thermal cameras, a source close to the aviation sector explained that the health protocol established by the Ministry of Health in airports does not provide for a fixed thermal camera in the circuit of domestic flights on departure and arrival, with the exception of arrivals from international flights. The incivility of the passengers was noticeable throughout the trip. According to the witness passenger, several passengers refused to wear their masks as soon as the captain of the aircraft reminded them, and they no longer wore them after the meal served on board.

Worse, the flight attendants distributed forms without a minimum of pens. "Result, three or four Bics end up circulating for more than a hundred passengers with all the risks of tactile contamination that this can pose when handing out the forms and circulating these pens," he specified.

According to the passenger, the incivility continued at the police counter with the non-respect of distancing. Back home, the witness learned of the contamination of one of his friends who had boarded the same flight as him. "I don’t know if he caught it during his trip to Laâyoune or if he had already contracted it before, but in both cases, the responsibility of the transport authorities (ONDA and RAM) is, in my opinion, entirely engaged," he regretted. Contacted, the officials of RAM and ONDA acknowledged that the irresponsibility of the passengers is at the origin of the overflow observed on board their flights.