Coronavirus : Moroccan ministers and officials returning from overseas have been tested

Moroccan officials returning from overseas have reportedly underwent coronavirus tests, Arabic-language daily Akhbar Alyaoum reported on Tuesday.

Quoting a source from the joint commission for epidemiological surveillance, the newspaper reported that these tests were carried out to «rule out cases of COVID-19».

«I cannot reveal the names of Moroccan officials who underwent the tests, but I can assure you that the information is true. When it comes to the virus, there is no difference between a minister and an ordinary citizen», the same source added.

The Moroccan health authorities are also planning to tighten travel restrictions for passengers coming from the Gulf countries. The new black list of the joint commission for epidemiological surveillance now covers people from Arab countries.

For the record, Morocco announced Monday evening its first confirmed coronavirus case from a Moroccan who lives in Italy. The health authorities are monitoring his family and passengers who took the same plane to come to Morocco, Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb said on Tuesday.