La economía de Marruecos despega gracias al avance en la vacunación
Morocco is continuing its vaccination campaign in the hope of reviving the economy during the summer months when thousands of migrants return to the country for the holiday season. Given the favourable evolution of the pandemic in the Alawi kingdom, the government has opted to impose more lax measures in view of the drop in cases of COVID-19, and among these measures is the resumption of international flights.
The North African country has vaccinated almost 9 million people with the full course of the vaccine, while 1 million citizens have already received one dose and are awaiting the second dose. Rabat aims to reach 80% herd immunity by the summer. The good rhythm of vaccination has allowed Morocco to open its borders. In order to carry out this opening, which Rabat has announced will be gradual, the Moroccan authorities have classified the countries into two lists according to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO). List 'A' lists those countries that keep the incidence of the virus under control and register positive indicators, "in particular with the spread of variants".
Travellers from these states, whether Moroccan nationals or foreigners established in Morocco, citizens of these countries or foreigners residing in them, will be able to enter the Alawi kingdom if they have a vaccination certificate or, where applicable, a negative PCR test result at least 48 hours before entering Moroccan territory.
List 'B' contains all those countries experiencing "a dispersion of variants or the absence of precise statistics", according to the authorities. Travellers from countries on this list must obtain exceptional authorisations before travelling, present a negative PCR test within 48 hours of entering the national territory and, ultimately, undergo a 10-day isolation.
In this context, the World Bank (WB) forecasts GDP growth of 4.6% in Morocco in 2021. In its June 'Global Economic Prospects' report for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the WB notes that "in Morocco, output is expected to rebound to 4.6% in 2021 driven by several factors, namely the easing of drought-related problems, favourable pandemic and vaccine trends, as well as the easing of internal travel restrictions".
Morocco's tourism sector relies heavily on Moroccan migrants returning to the North African country during the summer season. Despite the fact that the Alawi kingdom has announced the opening of its borders, Rabat has suspended for the second consecutive year the Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE), which in 2019 had an overall balance of 3,340,045 passengers and 760,215 vehicles, according to data from the Spanish Department of Homeland Security. This news has caused unease among many Moroccans who were planning to use this route to reach the North African country. Rabat justifies the decision on health grounds.
Morocco requires passengers to present a negative PCR test before boarding, and they must also take another test on board, which means that ships covering these routes must be equipped with laboratories that allow PCR tests to be carried out. The Alawi government argues that for short journeys, such as those between Spain and Morocco, it is not feasible to equip ships with laboratories as there would not be enough time to test all passengers.
In view of the exclusion of Spanish ports, the kingdom has announced a new maritime route between Tangiers and Portimao (Portugal) which will be operational from July, in addition to the line from Sète and Marseilles (France) and Genoa (Italy). Despite the gradual opening and the good economic prospects, the Moroccan Ministry of Health has warned against the relaxation of health measures and has urged the population to rigorously apply preventive measures against COVID-19, as excessive relaxation could lead to a worsening of the epidemiological situation in the country.