Some 5,760 Moroccans who were stranded abroad following the decision of the Moroccan authorities to suspend on November 29 international flights to the Kingdom, have been repatriated via air bridges from the United Arab Emirates, Portugal and Turkey, said, Monday in Rabat, Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with the Parliament, Government Spokesman Mustapha Baitas.
After the Moroccan authorities suspended international flights to the Kingdom on November 29, all the necessary services and resources were mobilized to ensure the repatriation of Moroccan citizens who had traveled outside the national territory for tourism, professional, family or medical reasons and who found themselves stranded abroad, said the Minister in response to a question in the House of Representatives on the situation of Moroccans stranded abroad, noting that the repatriation operation has benefited some 5,760 citizens during the period from 15 to 22 December 2021.
In this regard, Baitas said that in coordination between the relevant Moroccan authorities, including the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Health, Transport and Tourism, as well as the Directorate General of National Security, airlifts have been organized from three countries, namely Portugal, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, explaining that the choice was made on these countries because they are regional transit areas that can target and facilitate the return of Moroccan citizens stranded in different continental regions in which they are largely concentrated (Europe, Asia, Arab World).
This operation has allowed to repatriate between 1,000 and 1,500 people daily, through adopting objective and precise criteria about the beneficiaries, applied in a flexible and civic manner taking into account the particularities on a case by case basis, noted the Minister, adding that the citizens concerned have fully embraced this operation, in all conscience and responsibility.
He also indicated that these special flights were conducted under a special health protocol that included providing the PCR test result at least 48 hours prior to the flight, quarantining for seven days in designated hotels at government expense, conducting PCR tests during the quarantine period every 48 hours, and taking care of all those who tested positive, whether at the airport or at the hotel, by the appropriate health authorities.
