Morocco extends its border closure

Morocco extends its border closure

Morocco has today, Friday, December 24, once again extended the closure of its borders. The country had decreed its borders closed since last November 29. Today, it has suspended all international flights in and out of its airports, until January 31, in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus and its new strain.

This decision was communicated by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, and published in the accounts of the National Airport Office (ONDA) today. Land and sea borders have also been closed, and as a result, the Government has authorised special repatriation flights for foreigners to several selected countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe, including France, and Spain.

The closure deals a severe blow to the country’s vital tourism economy, with those working in the sector warning that Morocco is slowly going bankrupt. Scheduled exceptional flights operated by Royal Air Maroc – the local airline – will still fly, between 24 December and 31 December 2021, announced the airline.

Since last December 13, Morocco had also been running special flights for its citizens trapped abroad, from countries including Portugal, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. These operations were suspended yesterday, Thursday 23, as a result of a rise in daily Covid infections in the Maghreb country.

All parties and special celebrations have been banned in Morocco’s hotels, restaurants, and tourist establishments on New Year’s Eve, since the beginning of December.

With a vaccination rate of 63 per cent, Morocco announced last Tuesday that it had detected a total of 28 Omicron infections, and 46 other possible infections. In the past 24 hours, a total of 475 new infections, and six deaths have been recorded, with an incidence of 2,611.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, as reported by 20minutos.es.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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