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The third person to test positive for coronavirus in Morocco is a 52-year-old French tourist who landed in Marrakech on Saturday, March 7th, the director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division at the Health Ministry Mohamed Lyoubi said in a press conference Tuesday.
The Paris-based tourist is currently being treated in an isolation unit at a Marrakech hospital. «The patient undergoes the same measures taken to handle other patients that contracted the virus», Lyoubi stressed.
The French patient, who showed respiratory symptoms on Sunday before visiting a hospital to get checked, is in a «stable condition», Lyoubi reported earlier today. During the same press conference, however, he insisted that the health authorities will implement the same «preventive measures» applied to other patients and the people they contacted before having their cases confirmed.
First coronavirus death : The deceased's family to comply with confinement measures
As for the second confirmed coronavirus case recorded in Morocco, Lyoubi said that «despite the efforts made by the medical team, the 89-year-old patient died this afternoon».
«Since she was admitted to the hospital, the woman had a critical condition due to chronical diseases she suffered from», Lyoubi regretted. «Exceptional measures will be taken during the funeral of the Moroccan woman to avoid a possible contamination», he added.
The health official said that the deceased’s family will have to comply «with the confinement measures imposed by the health authorities». «I hope that Moroccans can understand the situation and show respect for the family that lost a dear person in these circumstances», Lyoubi said.
For the record, the woman in question tested positive for the virus last week after she returned from Italy through the Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport on February 25.
The patient «started having respiratory symptoms, which pushed one of her family members to call the Health Ministry’s hotline» launched to assist citizens with suspected coronavirus symptoms, the Ministry added.
Earlier today, Lyoubi assured that the other person infected with coronavirus in Morocco is in a «stable condition». The 39-year-old man who contracted the virus after a trip to Italy «does not show symptoms anymore but he will not leave the hospital until he undergoes all required tests».
To avoid the spread of coronavirus, Morocco implemented a series of preventive measures. After it suspended flights to China, the Moroccan government decided, Monday, to suspend flights to and from Italy, the epicenter of the virus in Europe.
The government has suspended all cultural activities, sports events, seminars and other meetings attended by foreign guests as part of its plan to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.
