PAM representative within the House of Councillors, Larbi Mharchi, stated that the government’s decision to establish a night curfew, during the holy month of Ramadan, will have serious social and economic repercussions on Morocco’s low and middle classes, stressing that the government should have prepared all the necessary measures in order to limit the effects of such repercussions on all social segments.
“We can understand the necessity and urgency leading to this decision, given how busy night time can be during Ramadan, especially in light of the virus’ new emerging strain, which represents a serious threat to our country and the whole world, however, the government is required to take urgent measures to support the affected sectors, and work to find quick and effective solutions to their problems ».
He added that « instead of opting for the simplest and easiest solutions such as lockdowns and curfews, for they lack creativity and innovation”. He was addressing the House of Councillors’ plenary session on Tuesday, April 13, in a debate related to the latest developments presented by the head of the government, with regard to the epidemiological situation our country.
“This decision will result in jeopardizing several businesses and workshops, including 250,000 coffeehouses and restaurants, for this sector alone employs more than 1.5 million people, who will soon have no income for a whole month due to the lockdown” Mharchi said, adding that over 40,000 others will be facing the same destiny as their workplaces (namely traditional and modern public baths) will have to shut down as well.
“The same thing can be said about traditional industry in our country”, Mharchi stated, noting that most craftsmen earn their living on a seasonal basis, such as tailors, who are mostly busy during holidays and summer time.
“These craftsmen have not been able to resume their work since last year, however, the government is still unwilling to show any support”, he added.
Mharchi has also shed light on the fact that several employees have lost their jobs during the lockdown, at a time where they haven’t received any compensations, especially those deemed not registered within the Social Security Fund, bringing the unemployment rate in Morocco to an unprecedented 13%, noting that tourism in our country has lost over 90% of its transactions, causing 90% of its employees to lose their jobs permanently or semi-permanently.
Meanwhile, Mharchi used the chance to highlight HM’s wisdom in dealing with the pandemic, by taking a series of measures at the economic and social levels, that helped our country avoid shadier scenarios, such as creating a Corona Pandemic Fund, and the fact that the government has allocated financial support to families from poor backgrounds, in addition to small and medium enterprises, let alone Morocco’s commitment to provide free vaccinations to all Moroccan citizens, which puts our country in the TOP10 list of countries with most vaccinations per capita.