Coronavirus: 82% of Moroccans avoid leaving their homes

According to an opinion poll, 88 per cent of Moroccans are currently not considering travelling due to the coronavirus outbreaks in the country.

Poll results conducted on Monday showed that 82 per cent of Moroccans avoid leaving their homes, with the exception of urgent cases, for fear of being infected by the coronavirus.

The Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis (non-governmental) announced the result, among other statistics, following a survey entitled “COVID-19 virus: Moroccans’ views on government measures.”

The poll was conducted between 14 and 19 March, with participants consisting of 2,470 Moroccans aged 18 years and over, and distributed across 12 regions.

The Institute announced that the survey revealed that 96 per cent of Moroccans are very concerned about the outbreak of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, while 81 per cent are concerned about being infected.

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The virus has infected 134 people in Morocco, and has resulted in 4 fatalities, according to the Ministry of Health.

The poll indicated that 90 per cent are very concerned about the impact of the virus on the Moroccan economy.

To help prevent the spread of the virus, on Thursday Morocco announced a “state of health emergency” and restricted movement in the country, beginning last Friday and lasting until April 20.

Regarding the precautions that respondents use to confront the virus, 12 per cent conveyed that they wore a medical mask, and 97 per cent revealed that they are washing their hands several times a day.

Despite their concerns about the possibility of infection, 88 per cent of respondents mentioned that they are not thinking of circulating outside of their homes.

The virus has currently infected more than 350,000 people across the world and has caused over 15,000 fatalities, mostly in Italy, China, Spain, Iran, France, and the US, while more than 100,000 have recovered from the virus.

Amid the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, many countries have closed their borders, suspended flights, imposed a curfew, closed schools and prevented public gatherings, including group prayers.

Coronavirus is affecting the whole world, will it unite us? – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]