• Breaking news - check the latest news on the coronavirus crisis
  • Border: Morocco opens the borders of Ceuta and Melilla to let thousands of Spanish tourists out trapped by the closure of traffic
  • Closure. 62 countries have already imposed entry restrictions on Spaniards due to the coronavirus

Sahara desert. Idyllic journey. Getaway from "honeymoon trip". Sand. Silence. Stars. At 6:00 pm on Thursday, tranquility breaks. Morocco decides to close the borders with Spain due to the expansion of the coronavirus. Spanish tourists trapped. "No one is informing us. It is what worries us the most. We have called the embassy and the only phone we have been able to talk to is a commercial, who has passed us other phones that are collapsed. The consulate is also collapsed. We are scared. "says Álvaro Gijón , from a bus on the way from the Sahara to Marrakech , with three hours to go.

The closure of the border has left Spanish tourists in limbo. According to Foreign data, 20% of those who come to Morocco for tourism come from Spain. In the January-November 2018 period, around 2.29 million Spaniards visited Morocco, 6% more than in 2017. Álvaro's group is made up of 19 people, Spanish but also from Mexico or the Dominican Republic, who must also fly to Madrid to transit to their countries.

"We have called the embassy on several occasions and they must keep the lines busy because they do not catch us," says Álvaro, who has decided to spend the night with his girlfriend at the airport, despite the fear that a possible agglomeration of people gives them. The true terror of tourists is to get sick or catch the coronavirus in Morocco. Álvaro voices the fear of his group of tourists: "I think we will stay at the airport waiting for something sudden to happen. But we are concerned that we will get infected or something will happen to us here. The airport will be crowded." His hope is that there, at some counter, someone will give them directions.

On March 2, the first case of COVID-19 in Morocco was confirmed by the Moroccan authorities. According to Foreign Affairs, alluding to the WHO , Morocco has the technical competences to carry out the diagnosis of the new virus in various national laboratories. "The Moroccan authorities have begun to distribute health cards that must be completed by travelers at ports and airports entering the country and temperature controls are also being carried out at certain points of entry," explains the Spanish government.

"What worries us most is the lack of information. No one knows what is going to happen, I understand it and it is normal, but this has suddenly caught us and someone should tell us," laments Álvaro. His flight was leaving early Friday morning. There are people who should have traveled already, people who have left their children in Spain. "No one knows if he will be able to leave. We are concerned about how the Government of Spain or that of Morocco will behave with us because right now we are incommunicado." Another colleague from Álvaro's group is blunt: "We don't have any information and we need action."

They have sent an email to their airline, Air Europa, which has not replied. His flight has been canceled since Thursday afternoon. There are tourists who are considering the option of traveling to Ceuta to try to cross the border.

From this Thursday, the website of the Foreign Ministry is not recommended to travel to Morocco. "The Moroccan authorities have announced this afternoon that, as of tomorrow, March 13, and until further notice, air and sea passenger connections with Spain are suspended, so YOU ​​CANNOT TRAVEL DIRECTLY from Spain to Morocco, or from Morocco to Spain. It is recommended, for the moment, NOT TO TRAVEL to Morocco ". The problem is with those who traveled before.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Morocco
  • Spain
  • Ceuta
  • Coronavirus
  • Coronavirus Special
  • Covid 19

Epidemic62 countries have already imposed entry restrictions on Spaniards due to the coronavirus

HospitalityThe night of Madrid empties: "We have dropped 50% of customers due to the coronavirus; if it continues like this there will be layoffs"

Exteriors Morocco opens the borders of Ceuta and Melilla to let thousands of Spanish tourists out trapped by the closure of traffic