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Despite the acceleration of production and the promises of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of «an abundance on the markets to meet national demand», face masks remain a rare product in Moroccan grocery stores.
J'étais chez l'épicier au moment de l'arrivée du camion de livraison de lait. Il a reçu exactement 3 paquets de 10 masques.
— Omar H. ?? (@Omar_H_) April 16, 2020
Several Moroccans have complained about the shortage of masks, denouncing the small quantities delivered to points of sale, but also the behavior of some who buy several boxes at the same time. As a result, many had to cross several districts to find a 10-mask box, but some returned home empty-handed.
Moroccans criticize the quality of face masks
Going out without a mask exposes you to a possible penalty for non-compliance with the rules of the state of health emergency. But even those who thought they were out of the woods with their boxes of masks, had the unpleasant surprise of finding out that their quality was not up to standards.
In a video viewed by Yabiladi, a Moroccan woman criticized the quality of the masks she obtained in Casablanca. She also claimed that half of the 10-mask box she purchased were «defective» and have «missing or unsewn ties». Others, according to her, were «porous».
«What are we basing ourselves on to say that these masks meet the standards?», she asked.
She thus joined other internet users, such as the owner of a grocery store in the Souss region, who had criticized the quality of certain face masks, delivered by agricultural cooperative Copag.
Contacted by Yabiladi on Thursday, a source within the ministry ensures that «we must be proud that our country produces more than 5.5 million masks a day». «Unlike other countries, Morocco has been able to anticipate and have been able to secure production», the same source added.
«We are going up in quantity and in quality. We have implemented international standards, such as the European standard on masks for medical use and the international standard for masks used by people working in chemical factories. These standards imposed for woven and non-woven masks set the manufacturing and performance parameters for these masks and the companies that produce them have been certified».
Pharmacies soon to sell masks
For the official, Morocco is in a «special and unprecedented situation». «You can imagine the pressure we put on companies and the life-threatening conditions in which these employees work day and night for the masks criticized by some», he regretted. The ministry «is working on a bulletin which will make the technical specifications mandatory». Thus, «no mask can be sold if it does not meet these standards and specifications», he assures.
For citizens who come across defective masks that do not meet standards, he urged them «to immediately return this product to retailers, who would return them to the manufacturing companies». «We even updated the standard to include the elastic ties, because the framework is evolving and we also regularly follow up with the manufacturing companies», our source adds.
As for the scarcity of face masks, the official said that «the ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, will increase the volume and ensure the supply in various points of sale». «These have been diversified. Besides, we will involve the pharmacists with whom we have found an operating mode for the distribution of masks», he announced, promising that these pharmacies will join the sales network «in the coming days».
To fight against the shortage, the manager calls for the citizens to show a better behavior. «Until the day before yesterday, there were 19 million masks sold at the points of sale. Citizens must also adopt good behavior by avoiding buying several boxes», our source concludes.
