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While authorities in China are trying to contain the spread of a deadly new coronavirus, Moroccans living in the city of Wuhan are in panic. The capital of Central China’s Hubei province was quarantined, Thursday, as it is believed to be the epicenter of the virus.
Worried by the lockdown of their city, Moroccans in Wuhan are scared of the current situation which forces them to lock themselves and live off limited resources. Yassine, who lives and works in the city told Yabiladi, Friday, that «Moroccans living in Wuhan took to the internet last week to voice their fears».
«Wuhan is a quarantined zone now, everything is shut down, public transportation has been suspended and no one is allowed to leave the city», he told Yabiladi. «The situation is a bit tight because it coincides with the Chinese New Year and normally Moroccans travel home during this period», Yassine said.
But to the Wuhan-resident, Moroccans are mostly worried about food, as supplies are getting less easily available. «They are locking themselves in their places and only go out to grab food», he explained.
However, «the biggest problem we are fearing is not being able to find food in the upcoming days», Yassine argued, adding that «food prices increased rapidly after the spread of the virus».
Yassine who has managed to contact the Moroccan embassy in China is currently making a list of Moroccans who are currently in Wuhan. «I made a list and it includes more than 120 Moroccans in Wuhan. The list will be sent to the Moroccan embassy to help them know how many nationals are here», he said.
Moroccans in Wuhan want to leave for Morocco
Idriss, a Moroccan who studies in Wuhan, confirmed Yassine’s account, voicing the same fears. «Moroccan students in Wuhan are in a state of panic and their families in Morocco are scared for their wellbeing», he told Yabiladi this Friday.
«We are scared of the virus and also of the lockdown», he said, adding that «food prices are skyrocketing and people get crazy when shopping, some shops are almost empty».
Idriss and other students like him want «Morocco to intervene and find a solution for them». «We want to go back to Morocco. Although we are locking ourselves up and we don’t go out, we will feel safer in Morocco», he told Yabiladi.
«If we get the virus, we won’t know how to act. We still don’t speak the language and we have difficulties communicating», he argued.
Idriss said that Moroccan students in Wuhan and other residents tried to reach the Moroccan embassy in China but received no answer in the first days. «Today, we were able to reach the embassy, but we still don’t know what the upcoming measures are», he added.
Assisting Moroccans in Wuhan amid outbreak
In Beijing, the Moroccan embassy has set up a crisis cell to assist Moroccans amid the spread of the coronavirus. In a communiqué released, Friday, the embassy announced that it has managed to contact the Chinese authorities and the Moroccan community in the country to assist them throughout the current outbreak.
A source within this cell told Yabiladi that the «embassy is mobilized» to help Moroccans in China. «We have been in discussion with the city’s authorities and the central authorities in Beijing about the situation of Moroccans in the country and in Wuhan in particular», the same source added.
«So far, the embassy has ensured that there have been no cases among our Moroccan nationals. Moreover, we have had confirmation that there are no restrictions placed on Moroccans wishing to leave China from Beijing, from which departures for international flights are scheduled».
«There are Moroccans who want to leave China. You just have to go to the airport two hours before the flight, and go through a simple test», the same source added.
As for the quarantine imposed on Wuhan, the same source explained that «according to the Chinese authorities, no foreigner is subject to these restrictions or prohibited from leaving the city».
«However, it must be emphasized that there are preventive measures to ensure that the person is not infected with the virus», the same source added.
The Moroccan embassy is awaiting, for the moment, Chinese authorities to accept the possibility of repatriating Moroccan nationals outside of Wuhan. «We are waiting for their approval», concludes the same source.
