Surge in COVID-19 Testing Demand as Moroccan Expats Rush to Return Home via Sète Port

By allowing Moroccans living abroad to return to the country, Morocco has set several conditions, including the presentation of a PCR test dated less than 48 hours upon boarding (48 hours is the date of the result and not the date of the test). The other condition is that all boarding on a ferry bound for the Kingdom must be done exclusively at two ports, including the one in Sète.

This decision has led to a saturation of screening requests from Moroccans living abroad, notes Franceinfo. For Michel Bodart, medical biologist and vice-president of Labosud, the demand is very strong with Moroccans coming from Spain, Portugal or other countries.

According to Ghislaine Barthez, medical biologist and president of biomed 34, the screenings are now done without an appointment in Sète. "It never stops, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.," she adds.