Saturday, March 14, 2020

Corona Virus - Impact on Morocco - Update

The latest information from Morocco.



Coronavirus: Morocco wakes up isolated but self-sufficient.

Moroccans have woken to a series of new preventive measures being taken to deal with the exceptional situation linked to the risk of the spread of the new Coronavirus on the national territory.

There is an important announcement from the Interior Ministry which states that, until further notice, there is a ban on all public gatherings of more than 50 people.

It has also been decided to cancel all sporting, cultural and artistic events and meetings, adds the same source.

Also, and like the suspension of air and sea connections with Italy, Spain and France, Morocco has decided to suspend, until further notice, flights to and from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad.

In a concerted approach, the countries concerned were notified about these measures beforehand, emphasises the same source.

The Moroccan authorities will continue to monitor the situation in the various countries and take the necessary measures.

Of course, adds the press release, air and sea connections will be re-established once this global health crisis has been overcome.

No risk to food supply

The government is trying to avoid panic and not to replicate some of the chaotic situations observed in Europe, in large areas in Italy in particular. The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Green Economy and Digital reacted very quickly on Friday afternoon, explaining that the supply of goods is sufficient to meet the consumption needs of households, including those during the month of Ramadan.

The ministry conducts daily investigations in local markets and surveys of producers and importers of the most requested products to ensure there are sufficient supplies.

In addition, Carrefour Maroc issued a press release in reaction to the rush of consumers on the shelves of basic staples.

"The large retail group wants to reassure its customers that the shelves will be re-supplied as soon as possible," reads the release.

Carrefour Maroc also indicates that it has sufficient stock for the weeks or even the months to come, and that its logistics supply chain will not be disrupted.



School closures
It is official - to avoid the spread of the new coronavirus, Morocco has decreed the closure of schools, universities and training centres, public and private sectors, from Monday, March 16, until further notice.

Courses will be suspended from this date in all crèches, educational establishments, vocational training and universities, private and public, as stated in a press release from the Ministry of National Education and Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Travel from France stopped
Morocco  has decided to suspend all air and sea passenger transport links to and from France until further notice.

King Mohammed VI and the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, agreed on this subject, following discussions held between the government authorities of the two countries, which will continue their coordination during the period of this global health crisis.

8th confirmed case in Morocco

The subject is a 64-year-old French national who arrived in Taroudant on March 2 from France. After having presented respiratory symptoms on March 10, she contacted "Allo Yakada" the free phone information line.

The medical team went to where the French national was residing. They suspected she had coronavirus, notes a health ministry press release, indicating that a test was carried out in the laboratory by the Pasteur-Maroc institute, which confirmed the contamination.

The patient is currently in a hospital in Agadir where she is being treated in according to protocols in place for Covid-19.

Impact on economy.

The Moroccan economy may suffer negative impacts due to the coronavirus pandemic, in particular on tourism, which may suffer a drop of up to 39% in the number of tourists, a poor performance which should be partially offset by the positive ripple effects generated by the fall in oil prices.

This scenario, detailed in a note published by CFG Bank on the impact of the coronavirus on Morocco, highlights the heavy dependence of the Moroccan tourist industry on tourists from the euro zone and therefore the economic performance of this region.

"The EU will therefore naturally continue to have positive or negative ripple effects on the Moroccan economy, depending on its own performance," note analysts at CFG Bank, adding that these effects are likely to be heavily negative on tourism, the leading exporting sector with 22% of total exports of goods and services.

The note recalls that Morocco received 12.93 million tourists in 2019. "A decrease of 39% is equivalent to more than 5 million fewer tourists in 2020," he said, adding that the impact on the turnover in foreign currencies of the sector is likely to be “heavy”.

"This scenario includes a sharp drop in the number of French tourists with -50%, no tourists from Italy and a 20% drop in arrivals from other countries," analysts said.

From this perspective, they highlight the resolutions taken by the management of the Royal Air Maroc company (RAM) during an emergency meeting, with a view to suspending the Casa-Beijing line, flights to Italy, and to discuss the cancellation of the “Umrah” by the Saudi authorities which puts pressure on the RAM flight plans.

The other expected impact of the pandemic is linked to international trade in goods. CFG Bank analysts estimate that "the Covid-19 epidemic has disrupted global supply chains which could cause 2.6 million tonnes of trade volumes to be lost each month from March 2020".

The analysis notes that the negative effect on Morocco should be partially offset by the fall in oil prices.

Recalling the deficit in the balance of goods and services in Morocco, which fell by 4.1% in 2019, CFG Bank notes positive factors such as the drop in the energy bill following the fall in oil prices (from $111 per barrel on average in 2012 to $61 between 2017 and 2019), and the performance of tourism and international commercial links in Morocco.

CFG Bank analysts say, "over the past week the price of oil has dropped 50%, hovering around $30 a barrel", concluding that "if this level continues for the rest of the year, it will have a positive impact on the balance of goods and services in Morocco, compensating for the expected underperformance of the tourism industry ”.

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3 comments:

waddick said...

thanks fro the update >. Stay well and enjoy morocco. here they say the virus does not like the heat

Unknown said...

Hi,
I arrived in Fes with my 3 sons 2 weeks ago with the intention of staying for at least the next year or so. I am a Nutritional and Craniosacral Therapist a, also trained in homotoxicology nd thought it might be helpful to share the following preventative protocol having just read this blog on the Corona vius.
2 capsules twice a day of ultra potent C and virese (antiviral) plus immunoblast and ultabioplex ND ( to boost immunity) from nutri advanced. Plus 1 capsule, 2 times a day of Jarrow NAC sustain ( to protect the liver and lungs) which are the main target of the virus and finally daily high quality zinc lozenges.
I hope this helps. I would love to hear from English speaking people in Fes. Shaila

Unknown said...

Hi Sheila, many thanks for your useful suggestions. I hope all the products mentioned are readily available locally.
Enjoy your stay in Fes.
Sean