Morocco cancels the requirement for travelers to have a negative corona test

As of Tuesday night, Morocco abolished the requirement for those wishing to travel to the Kingdom to have a negative test for the Corona virus (BCR), a decision that Rabat hopes will speed up the recovery of the vital tourism sector in the country's economy.

The government said in a statement that it "has decided to cancel the approval of the polymerase chain reaction test for corona (BCR) in order to enter Moroccan territory," noting that the decision entered into force immediately.

She explained that the decision was made "taking into account the improvement in the epidemiological situation in our country."

Since reopening its borders to international flights in early February, the Kingdom has imposed that travelers to it possess a negative test for the virus for a period of no more than 48 hours, in addition to a health passport.

The tourism sector employers and parliamentarians demanded the abolition of this condition because it is an obstacle to foreign tourists, and that the health passport is satisfied.

Owners of the tourism sector, which is vital to the Moroccan economy, hope that the new measure will speed up the recovery of their sector after a stifling crisis that lasted two years and exacerbated when the borders were closed to international flights for several weeks between the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022.

The decision also comes before the start of the "Marhaba" operation to receive the millions of Moroccans residing in Europe for the summer vacation, between mid-June and mid-September.

During the first quarter of this year, the revenues of the tourism sector increased by about 80 percent, compared to the same period last year, in a recovery that promises "more positive prospects for 2022", according to the expectations of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Morocco has witnessed a clear decline in the spread of the epidemic in recent months, and a return to normal life.

The Kingdom remained relatively immune from the epidemic, with a total of more than one million and 160 thousand injuries, and more than 16 thousand deaths, according to the latest official toll.

More than 23 million out of 36 million people in Morocco have received two doses of vaccines against the virus, according to official figures.

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