Following the outbreak of a Covid-19 epidemic in the country, Moroccan authorities have put themselves at risk by banning the entry and exit of eight cities in the kingdom. These cities include Marrakech, Casablanca, Fez, Rabat, Meknes and Tangier. The news spread like wildfire.
The ban was first announced at 7 p.m. last Sunday and took effect at midnight, leaving the Moroccans barely four hours to decide on their final destination for the Eid-Al-Adha holiday.
Roads, stations and bus stations were crowded from the middle of last Sunday evening, especially at the entrance and exit of Casablanca, as well as other cities targeted by the travel restriction measures imposed by the Ministries of Interior and Health.
The need to look for reports on the roads and in bus and train stations is over. The photos and videos that are on social networks as early as 8 pm bear witness to this tragic situation.
For some of the victims, the government decision is the cause behind their confusion. “My car broke down and the breakdown service will not be able to come to our rescue. To arrive at our destination before midnight is just not possible,” complained an angry driver, stuck in traffic jams on the Marrakech-Casablanca highway.
For others, “the government must resign. What is currently happening on the roads is worse than the Coronavirus,” according to Aziz, an Internet user leaving Tetouan where he went after mid-July, the date of the new lightening of the containment measures adopted in March, with provisions to encourage domestic tourism.
Thus, the tourist season is once again drowning in difficulty.
In addition, the number of accidents has started to rise again after several weeks of calm roads thanks to the Covid-19. “The confinement has had a huge impact on road traffic, as evidenced by a huge drop in the risk of accidents and mortality,” according to Mr. Benacer Boulaajoul, director of the National Road Safety Agency (NARSA).
Be the first to comment