Sunday night communication for the next morning is starting to become a habit. This weekend, it blows hot and cold.
Morocco’s borders are opening up… a bit
Just after the start of the new school year, which is holding up MREs in their own country. It would seem that the government has done everything in its power not to welcome them!
Be that as it may, and provided, of course, that you have a means of transport, plane or boat, the borders are practically open.
For tourists
All you need to do is :
- have a confirmed hotel reservation
- hold a passport that does not require a visa
- come from a country with special flights
- have the results of the tests required of all foreigners entering Morocco.
For business travel
It has always been possible to apply for a laissez-passer to enter Morocco if you were not a resident, a Moroccan or the spouse of a Moroccan. The possibility existed for professional emergencies, for managers of Moroccan companies and for people who owned property in Morocco. It has now been extended and, above all, simplified.
Here is the CGEM press release:
As a result, from 10 September 2020, foreign trade visitors will be able to visit Moroccan companies simply by being invited. Invitations must be printed on the inviting company’s letterhead (including its identifiers, in particular its ICE, RC number and address). They must also be signed and sealed by an authorised person from the company, and include the purpose of the visit, the full names and passport numbers of the visitors, their date of entry into Morocco and their place of residence during their stay in Morocco.
One practical question remains: how do you obtain this sealed and signed invitation from a distance (ah the joys of stamps…)? Do you have to send it by post or is a digital copy sufficient?
It’s over, the start of the new school year has been cancelled in Casablanca
The news came at 10pm, when everyone was expecting a ‘normal’ start to the new school year (subject to the measures imposed by the government) on Monday. It was at 10pm (or perhaps tomorrow morning, for those who go to bed early) that parents were told they had to make emergency arrangements, and that school headmasters had to contact all their teachers to try to organise distance learning as quickly as possible (or not, as some nursery schools in Casablanca had decided not to use distance learning, as it is not at all suitable for very young children).
The 773 cases of Covid recorded in Casablanca on Sunday (when the number of cases is traditionally lower at weekends) are certainly a contributing factor. As did the WHO statement a few days ago recommending that face-to-face classes should not be held, particularly if the rate of contamination is high and/or the country does not have the resources to cope with a major increase in Covid cases.
The city has been virtually re-confined for 14 days, with a 10pm curfew, the closing of cafés at 8pm, restaurants at 9pm and souks at 3pm, and, above all, a strict ban on entering or leaving the city, except by special dispensation (dispensations which have been granted sparingly of late).
Let’s try to be logical…
A foreigner can come to Morocco on the basis of a document provided by the company inviting him. In most cases, they will have to go to Casablanca, the country’s economic centre. You cannot enter Casablanca from any other city in Morocco.
Unless, of course, the company in question is located in a confined district or town.
A foreigner can come to Morocco (almost) anywhere on the basis of a hotel reservation.
So why would they need an invitation from a company?
Can a foreigner with several hotel reservations take a tour of Morocco? And so, for example, can go from Fez to Rabat, whereas a Moroccan who lives in Rabat but hasn’t had time to update their identity card when they move house can’t enter the Marjane supermarket in the same city.
Tourism professionals cried all summer for us to let them work. We’re giving them the chance to do so again when the season is over.
Are we going to take advantage of this to stop paying them the 2,000 dirhams per employee per month? Because now they can welcome foreign tourists (who probably don’t really want to come, at least not right away).
Like the schools in Casablanca, which were due to open tomorrow, will airspace be open on 10 September, when the state of emergency is extended, or will its opening be delayed by 14 days?
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