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«Our country has been able to avoid the worst and has carefully managed this period with a series of preventives measures and strategies», Morocco’s head of government Saadeddine El Othmani said on Wednesday. Speaking at the House of Representatives, he announced that the government is currently preparing for this «new phase», which is marked by the extension of the state of health emergency and the easing of lockdown measures.
During his address, El Othmani referred to the Kingdom’s recently announced strategy, which takes into account disparities in the infection rate between the country's regions. «The state of health emergency is a legal framework that allows the government to take measures aimed at dealing with the pandemic, such as the lockdown, which is only one of the tools», he explained.
While hailing the fact that the epidemiological indicators in the country have «improved considerably», he assured that «the confinement has not been prolonged». «We spoke last month of the different conditions needed to lift the lockdown and we said it would be gradual and that it would take into consideration the situation of each area or region», he said.
Two zones to «protect citizens»
El Othmani wanted to highlight the «disparities» existing between regions when it comes to the epidemiological situation, recalling that «certain territories require vigilance, with outbreaks or an increase in cases».
«We therefore decided to extend it in certain regions while reducing it elsewhere. It is to protect citizens in these regions», he said, adding that «the first zone includes 60 percent of Morocco’s population» while the second recorded almost 87 percent of the confirmed cases.
In the two zones, however, all economic, commercial and industrial services will be resumed, with the exception of «theaters, cinemas, restaurants and cafés, which will only be allowed to deliver, public baths, and malls».
«All of this remains provisional because it is only the first step towards easing the lockdown», he insisted, announcing that a weekly evaluation will be submitted by the Ministry of Health regarding the epidemiological situation. «If there is no problem, we will further loosen the measures and go even faster», he promised. However, he stressed that preventive measures, such as social distancing, wearing protective masks and washing hands are to be maintained in both zones.
As for the administration, El Othmani said that state «officials will join back their offices in zone 1 tomorrow to catch up, taking into account special cases, such as those suffering from chronic diseases».
El Othmani recalled that «the challenge is to relaunch the economy and resume activities». Thus, in the short term, he stressed the need of amending the finance law.
«There are a lot of measures that will allow us to ensure this recovery. Personally, I am optimistic after the surge of solidarity that I have seen. Post-coronavirus Morocco will be better than the one before this pandemic», he concluded.
