King Mohammed VI of Morocco has called on all stakeholders to be mobilized and get actively involved in national efforts to promote awareness and provide guidance to the citizens to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
In his speech broadcast Thursday on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People, the Monarch warned that without strict, responsible compliance with health and safety measures, the number of cases and deaths will increase, while hospitals will no longer be able to cope despite the efforts made by the authorities and the health care sector.
“Without exemplary, responsible and patriotic attitudes on the part of each one of us, there will be no way out of this situation, and we will not be able to rise to the challenge posed by the epidemic”, underlined the King.
Despite the efforts made so far, “we have not yet won the battle against this epidemic. Needless to say, these are difficult, unprecedented times for everyone”, added the Sovereign in his speech to the Nation.
During the initial phase in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic, Morocco was cited as an example for complying with the preventive measures taken and for the positive results achieved during the lockdown period, said the King.
However, with the lifting of the lockdown, the number of infections has increased significantly, for many reasons, deplored the Monarch, saying that there are people who claim that this epidemic does not exist, while others believe that the lifting of the lockdown means the epidemic is over, leading to unacceptably behavior by some people.
“The disease is very much real”, stressed the Monarch, noting that those who claim otherwise are not only putting themselves in harm’s way, but they are also endangering the lives of their relatives and of others.
Covid-19 makes no distinction between urban and rural populations, nor between children, youths and the elderly, explained the King, regretting that many people do not respect the protective measures advocated by the government authorities, and which include the wearing of masks, social distancing, hygiene and the use of disinfectants.
“Had hygiene and cleaning supplies not been available on the market, or had they been expensive, such behavior might have been understandable. However, the government authorities have made sure these materials are abundantly available and are very reasonably priced”, emphasized the Sovereign.
He also recalled the financial support provided to all those affected by the covid-19 lockdown, stressing that assistance cannot last forever as the State has already exceeded the means and resources available to it.
The deterioration of the health situation today is unfortunate and does not leave much room for optimism, said the King, noting that the numbers of confirmed cases, severe cases and deaths have increased more than threefold over a short period of time, compared to those reported the lockdown period.
If figures continue to increase, the Covid-19 Scientific Committee may recommend another lockdown, perhaps with even tighter restrictions, warned the Monarch, affirming that relock down will have severe repercussions on people’s lives and on socio-economic conditions.
Covid-19: Morocco’s King Calls for Collective & More Safety Awareness Effort to Combat Pandemic
