COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco

[3][4] On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan, Hubei, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.

[11] On 11 March 2020, it was announced that the wife and daughter of the French tourist also tested positive, bringing the total cases to 5.

[12] That same day, a sixth case was declared in a woman in her sixties that came from France and that presented respiratory troubles on 7 March.

[22] On 13 March 2020 the government of Morocco announced they were suspending all passenger flights and ferry crossings to and from Algeria, Spain and France until future notice.

Incoming passengers were required to bring a COVID-19 test result from their country of departure, issued less than 48 hours of the time of arrival.

[27] On 4 September 2020, the government announced that foreigners who were allowed visa-free entry to Morocco can enter the Kingdom's territory conditionally, either through an invitation or a hotel reservation.

[35] The lockdown required the authorisation of local state officials for citizens to leave their homes, while making exceptions for workers at supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, gas stations, medical clinics, telecommunications companies, and essential freelance jobs.

[43] According to an article published in Le Desk on 21 April 2020, the Moroccan government outsourced its quarantine strategy to the Boston Consulting Group.

[39] As of 22 May, 91,623 people were reported to be prosecuted for crimes which included violating the health emergency law as of 22 May 2020, leading to concern from non-governmental organizations and activists.

[49] The curfew was periodically extended alongside the state of health emergency,[50][51] remaining in place throughout Ramadan,[52] and was then shortened by four and a half hours on 22 May.

[53] In early 2021, authorities prevented several planned demonstrations from taking place, including a march in solidarity with imprisoned activists Omar Radi and Soulaimane Raissouni, as well as multiple pro-Palestine protests, under the pretext of avoiding "any violation of the measures of the state of health emergency".

This prompted the government to retighten health measures, including increasing the duration of the nightly curfew,[56] banning travel to and from Casablanca, Agadir and Marrakech (with the exception of vaccinated individuals and those with a permit),[56] and enforcing the wearing of masks.

[58] The curfew was reduced by 2 hours starting from 11:00 pm on 1 October, in response to a decreasing trend of daily cases as well as the ongoing vaccination campaign.

[60] In December 2021, the government announced that forthcoming New Year's Eve celebrations would be prohibited, enforcing a curfew from midnight to 6:00 am local time, and ordering restaurants and cafes to close at 11:30 pm.

[65] The government announced that being outside shelter between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan (1441 AH / 2020 BCE) (which started on 25 April) is strictly forbidden for any reason except for special cases, such as logistics.