Morocco imposes travel ban on South Africa, others

Travel ban

Passengers wait for their flights at the Marrakesh Airport on March 15, 2020.(Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Travellers from South Africa and its neighbours have been banned from entering Morocco amid concerns over a new COVID-19 variant.

According to a statement by the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the travel ban covers South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

The ministry stated that passengers coming from or transiting through the above-mentioned countries are not allowed to enter Morocco.

Related News

The decision “is taken to preserve Morocco’s achievements in terms of management of the COVID-19 pandemic and to deal with the deterioration of the health situation in some countries.”

A new variant of COVID-19 identified as B.1.1.529 was recently detected in South Africa, which according to scientists could evade the immune system and become more transmissible.

The Moroccan Ministry of Health reported 154 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, raising the total confirmed number in the North African country to 949,532.

Load more