Morocco Suspends Flights until Jan. 31

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

The Moroccan government has extended the suspension of commercial flights to and from the North African country until January 31.

The decision comes amid concerns over the fast-spreading of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The National Office of Airports (ONDA) announced that “the suspension of all passenger flights to and from Morocco will be extended until January 31, 2022.”

Rabat imposed the measure to run initially from late November until December 31.

Morocco ended Thursday the repatriation of its nationals stranded abroad from Portugal, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

In the same context, the government on Monday banned all New Year’s Eve parties and reinstated a nighttime curfew, as part of the kingdom’s preventive measures aimed at fighting the pandemic.

These measures could increase the losses of the tourism sector, knowing that Morocco is usually a destination for European tourists on New Year’s Eve.

The Moroccan Ministry of Health reported that the number of confirmed cases in the country exceeded 954,000 and the total deaths reached 14,823.