MOROCCO, February 3 - Companies are called upon to generalize the vaccination pass to all their workforces, said Wednesday in Casablanca the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch.

"The decision to open the borders is very difficult for political decision-makers. Thus, we must work to achieve a generalization of the vaccination of employees and staff of companies", said Mr. Akhannouch who held a meeting with the president of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), Chakib Alj, to discuss the need to support the recent decision to open up airspace.

The two-month border closure was intended to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, he recalled, adding that thanks to the various measures taken, Morocco had two peaks instead of five or six, as it was the case in several countries.

In this regard, Akhannouch noted that restrictions, including closure and lockdowns, have a psychological, social and economic cost.

For his part, the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Khalid Ait Taleb, stressed the need to protect the Moroccan citizen, the driving force of economic and social growth.

Since the start of the pandemic, 67.4% of COVID-19-related deaths recorded in Morocco were reported in unvaccinated people and since the start of the third dose, 41.18% of deaths were recorded among unvaccinated people, he said.

Regarding the category of people who are vaccinated, a death rate of 1.08% has been recorded and after the start of the second dose, a rate of 9% was reported, he continued, underlining the significant difference which demonstrates the effectiveness of the third dose.

This meeting is part of a series of meetings, chaired by the Head of Government, with political and economic actors to examine the COVID-19 situation in the Kingdom and raise awareness on the need to support the recent government decision to open the borders to international flights departing from and to Morocco.

The meeting took place in the presence of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah, the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Khalid Ait Taleb, and the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, Younes Sekkouri, as well as members of the Confederation.

MAP 02 February 2022