On Saturday, Transport Canada announced that the country would ban all passenger flights from Morocco for 30 days.
According to the government’s transportation agency, this temporary cessation of flights was set to take effect on midnight of August 29 and runs until September 29, unless otherwise extended or modified.
The ban was announced after the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) released its latest advisory, which highlighted that an increase in COVID-19 test-positive individuals from Morocco was monitored between July and August.
Notably, 54,212 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Morocco on August 16.
While the temporary cessation is focused on passenger flights, other types of airline transportation from Morocco to Canada like military flights, medical transfers, and cargo-only flights will still be allowed.
Moreover, passenger flights from Morocco to Canada that were already scheduled before the ban will still be permitted, but passengers will need to take a COVID-19 test before being admitted.
Transport Canada stressed that the COVID-19 test requirement would be strictly applied to individuals who traveled by air from Morocco to the country via an “indirect route.”
Additionally, the transportation agency emphasized that “restricting flights from countries of concern” is one of the strategies that the government is utilizing to prevent further infection and realize the “effective management of Canada’s border re-opening plan.”
Transport Canada also reiterated that citizens should avoid non-essential travel outside of the country to curb the exposure and spread of COVID-19, especially its more contagious variant, the Delta strain.
