Morocco Tightens COVID-19 Restrictions

A man waits to receive the vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a vaccination center in Sale, Morocco October 26, 2021. REUTERS/Shereen Talaat
A man waits to receive the vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a vaccination center in Sale, Morocco October 26, 2021. REUTERS/Shereen Talaat
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Morocco Tightens COVID-19 Restrictions

A man waits to receive the vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a vaccination center in Sale, Morocco October 26, 2021. REUTERS/Shereen Talaat
A man waits to receive the vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a vaccination center in Sale, Morocco October 26, 2021. REUTERS/Shereen Talaat

Morocco on Monday announced a ban on New Year's Eve celebrations as part of stepped-up measures against rising coronavirus cases.

The government ordered a ban on all forms of celebration on the evening of New Year's eve, including parties in hotels and tourist sites.

It ordered restaurants and cafes to close at 11.30 pm and said a curfew would be in place from midnight until 6:00 AM on January 1.

Morocco on December 15 detected its first case of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.

After a partial reopening of borders, it is to close them again from Thursday to rein in the spread of the highly infectious variant.

Authorities will, however, organize special repatriation flights for expatriates stranded in the country.

Morocco recorded during the past 24 hours 102 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, bringing the tally in Morocco to 952,916 infections since the first case was detected on March 2, 2020.

The total number of recoveries reached 936,597, and the total deaths 14,810.

Regarding inoculation, 24,501,405 people have been vaccinated since the launch of the campaign, including 22,843,009 who received the 2nd dose, and 2,390,120 the 3rd dose, said the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.



Türkiye Has No ‘Secret Agenda’ in Syria, Minister Says

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan addresses the audience during a press briefing meeting to review the past year and to share insights regarding regional and global developments in Istanbul, on January 10, 2025. (AFP)
Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan addresses the audience during a press briefing meeting to review the past year and to share insights regarding regional and global developments in Istanbul, on January 10, 2025. (AFP)
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Türkiye Has No ‘Secret Agenda’ in Syria, Minister Says

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan addresses the audience during a press briefing meeting to review the past year and to share insights regarding regional and global developments in Istanbul, on January 10, 2025. (AFP)
Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan addresses the audience during a press briefing meeting to review the past year and to share insights regarding regional and global developments in Istanbul, on January 10, 2025. (AFP)

Türkiye “does not have any secret agenda” in Syria and wants to construct a “new culture of cooperation,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday.

One of Türkiye’s priorities in the upcoming year is to clear the region of terrorism, Fidan said, referring to Kurdish militants based in northeast Syria. “The extensions of the separatist group in Syria are now facing destruction and the old order is no longer going to continue,” he told a news conference in Istanbul.

Fidan also criticized the United States’ support for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, as the US seeks to prevent a revival of the ISIS group.

“This kills the spirit of alliance and solidarity,” Fidan said. He said Türkiye is “not going to shy away from taking the necessary steps” in terms of military action.

Türkiye views the SDF as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which is listed as a terror organization by Türkiye and other states.

Referring to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s comments that US troops should stay in Syria, Fidan dismissed the views of the outgoing US administration. “This is the problem of the new government and the old government does not have a say in this,” he said.

The SDF is currently involved in fighting the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army.

Fidan also backed suggestions for Syrian Kurds to join a new national military but said all non-Syrians fighting for the SDF — a reference to those with ties to the PKK — should leave the country.