Morocco’s King Mohammed VI called Friday for a “general mobilisation” to confront the coronavirus crisis and its dire economic impact on the country, in a video message broadcast in parliament.
“To confront this unprecedented crisis, to stand up to the challenges arising from it, requires a national general mobilisation,” said the king.
The 57-year-old monarch said his traditional speech for the opening of parliament was being made remotely because of the “exceptional circumstances” in the North African country.
Morocco on Friday declared a daily record of 3,445 new cases of Covid-19, raising the total number of confirmed contaminations to 146,398, including 2,530 deaths.
At the end of last month, the central bank forecast 6.3-percent recession in 2020 due to a “slower than anticipated” economic upturn and the closure of Morocco’s borders that has denied it vital tourism revenues.
A medical state of emergency in force in Morocco since mid-March has been extended until November 10.
