Morocco Extends Coronavirus-Related Curfew For 2 Weeks - Prime Minister

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2021) Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Dine El Otmani has announced a two-week extension of the coronavirus-related curfew beginning at 9 p.m. (20:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the country's health ministry said that the first case of the mutant strain of the coronavirus that originated in the UK had been registered in Morocco.

"Under the efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and to reduce its negative consequences, the government has decided to extend the precautionary measures, which were implemented on January 13, for two more weeks, starting from 9 p.m. on Tuesday," the prime minister wrote on his Twitter account.

He noted that this decision was based on the latest global data on the coronavirus, including the emergence of the new strain of COVID-19 that was already registered in some neighboring countries.

The prime minister added that the government was also encouraged to extend the curfew by the Permanent Inter-ministerial Committee for Scientific Research and Technological Development that recommended strengthening COVID-19 related restrictions in the country.

Morocco declared a state of health emergency almost immediately after detecting the first COVID-19 cases last year and has since regularly extended it, with the latest extension set to expire on February 10. During this period, private and public gatherings are banned and businesses are required to close at 8 p.m. Furthermore, in December, Morocco first introduced a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., which was later prolonged on January 13.