Authorities were under pressure from a bankrupt tourism sector and Moroccans stranded abroad to unblock borders closed since November 29.
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Morocco’s border restrictions are loosening. The Moroccan government has decided to reopen the airspace from February 7 to flights to and from the country, after more than two months of closure, according to a press release released Thursday, January 27 by the MAP agency. Authorities were under pressure from a bankrupt tourism sector and Moroccans stranded abroad to unblock borders closed since November 29 due to an outbreak of the Omicron variant.
“This decision comes in accordance with the legal provisions relating to the management of the state of health emergency and following the recommendations of the scientific and technical commission and taking into account the evolution of the epidemiological situation in the kingdom”, the statement said. The government also extended Thursday the state of health emergency in force since 2020, throughout the territory, until February 28.
The border closures have hit the tourism, hotel and catering industry hard, a vital sector for the kingdom’s economy. Despite the announcement of a two billion dirham (190 million euro) tourism support plan, tourist operators demonstrated on Wednesday across the kingdom to demand the reopening of borders.