Rabat (AFP)
The city of Tangier, a metropolis of about one million inhabitants in northern Morocco, was reconfigured at noon Monday (11:00 GMT) after the appearance of foci of contagion of coronavirus, according to Moroccan authorities.
Public transport is suspended, cafes, shopping malls, markets and public spaces closed, and controls tightened, so that residents leave their homes "only in cases of extreme necessity," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Travel within the city is again subject to "an exceptional permit issued by the local authorities", according to the same source.
Such authorization is required to exit the city.
The decision to reconfigure was taken "after the appearance of new epidemic foci of new coronavirus" in order to "stem the spread of the virus", adds the press release.
Kingdom authorities first imposed restrictions on certain areas of Tangier overnight Sunday to Monday, before extending the measures to the entire city.
This announcement comes as Morocco accelerated its deconfinement last month with the reopening of cafes, restaurants, shops and the resumption of domestic tourism.
However, the borders remain closed "until further notice", except for Moroccans stranded around the world and foreign residents in Morocco, who are allowed to return to the kingdom from July 14.
Half a dozen cities remain subject to restrictions due to the episodic appearance of epidemic foci, mainly in the workplace. Wearing a mask is compulsory everywhere, under penalty of sanctions.
At the beginning of July, the city of Safi (south) had thus been placed in quarantine and its approximately 300,000 inhabitants subjected to total containment after the appearance of an outbreak of contamination in a fish canning factory.
Nearly 20% of the contaminations recorded between Sunday and Monday morning in the kingdom were in the region of Tangier.
Gate of Morocco towards Europe, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Tangier is the second economic pole of Morocco after Casablanca.
© 2020 AFP