Morocco Imposes Instant Fines for Not Wearing Masks

People cross the street as a tram bearing a face protective mask to spread awareness on preventing the spread of coronavirus, arrives in the center of the Moroccan capital Rabat on June 16, 2020. (AFP)
People cross the street as a tram bearing a face protective mask to spread awareness on preventing the spread of coronavirus, arrives in the center of the Moroccan capital Rabat on June 16, 2020. (AFP)
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Morocco Imposes Instant Fines for Not Wearing Masks

People cross the street as a tram bearing a face protective mask to spread awareness on preventing the spread of coronavirus, arrives in the center of the Moroccan capital Rabat on June 16, 2020. (AFP)
People cross the street as a tram bearing a face protective mask to spread awareness on preventing the spread of coronavirus, arrives in the center of the Moroccan capital Rabat on June 16, 2020. (AFP)

The Moroccan authorities intend to impose fines on violators who don’t wear masks as part of measures to stem the spread of the COVID-19 disease which has brought the country’s tally to 1,500 cases in 24 hours.

Morocco’s government adopted Wednesday a draft decree that simplifies the enforcement of wearing face masks in public.

Government spokesman Saeed Amazazi said that under the amended law, offenders have the option of paying the fine in cash. In that case, the enforcement officer immediately delivers a report to the offender, which serves as a receipt for payment.

In the event that the offender is unable to pay the fine immediately, the officer grants the violator 24 hours. The offender receives a report notifying him of the police or gendarmerie department where he needs to pay the fine.

The offender then has to pay the fine at the designated office after presenting the violation report.

If the offender exceeds the 24-hour limit without paying the fine, the new decree allows the officer who recorded the violation to send a report to the Public Prosecutor’s Office to take the appropriate legal measures.

Article 4 of the decree provides for prison sentences ranging from one to three months and a fine of MAD300 to MAD1,300 (USD30, USD130), or one of the two penalties.

Morocco has imposed wearing masks outdoors to enforce all precautionary measures that help contain the spread of the pandemic.

In a related context, the highest judicial council in Morocco exempted court personnel with low immunity, pregnant women, and critical disease patients from coming to work.

The Council attributed this decision to recent new cases among staff in courts.



Israeli Strikes Kill 35 in Gaza, Many Near an Aid Site, Medics Say 

A military vehicle maneuvers in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
A military vehicle maneuvers in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israeli Strikes Kill 35 in Gaza, Many Near an Aid Site, Medics Say 

A military vehicle maneuvers in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
A military vehicle maneuvers in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)

Israeli military strikes killed at least 35 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, most of them at an aid site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in central Gaza, local health officials said.

Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals said at least 25 people were killed as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, and dozens were wounded.

Ten other people were killed in other Israeli military strikes in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave, they added.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

On Tuesday, when Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed near another GHF aid site in Rafah in southern Gaza, the army said it fired warning shots to distance "suspects" who were approaching the troops and posed a threat.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a deal would be reached.

Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.

Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any new ceasefire offers.

The war erupted after Hamas-led fighters took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in an October 7, 2023, attack, Israel's single deadliest day.

Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the coastal enclave.