COVID-19 - Morocco Master Thread

[chris.perjalanan]

Just returned from a 3 weeks trip to Morocco, not by motobike though but a rental-car trip through the entire country.


- the nighttime curfew is now countrywide from 11 o´clock instead of 9 o´clock before. I didn´t have issues walking in the city after the curfew was in place, though streets were litterally empty and all shops closed also in the Medinas. My impression is if you are a foreigner the police are very unlikely to create problems for you.



- we didn´t have any issue travelling overland, 95% of roadblocks by gendarmerie royal just waved us through. Covid documents were just checked once in a Supratour bus from Marrakech to Essaouira


- Nobody checked my vaccination documents at the Marrakech airport ( flight arriving from an A-Country )



- saw a few overlanders on motobikes, one group of Germans took the ferry and had EU plates on their bikes. I don´t exactly remember which route they took but they crossed 2 weeks ago from Spain or Italy




Cheers
Chris

[levelo]

Hello everyone,

It's been a long time coming...
Just bought a return ticket for the second half of November. I won't be riding this time around, just planning a few hikes and some leisure time somewhere on the coast.
Hopefully the PCR test required when flying out of France will be lifted by then.
Will keep you all posted,

L.

[TheWarden]

COVID Vaccination passes will be introduced in Morocco from Thursday the 21st, for residents and citizens.

Ceuta's government have also said today that the border will remain closed at present and when it reopens "conditions of passage will be strengthened" (whatever that means). They also announced a complete renovation of the border before it will reopen. They declined any comment on when it may reopen

[TodoTerreno]

Hello,

I know it´s the view in the crystal ball, but:

Does anyone see a glimpse of a chance, that ferry connections between Spain and Morocco will return to business as usual by the end of this year? Any news on the horizon, that this may change for the better soon?

I´m in the process of preparing my 50yr old Series Land Rover for a trip around southern Spain, mostly at the Atlantic side, chasing surfable wind roughly from December until Feb/March.

If chances are good to cross the strait towards Morocco by ferry, I would prepare the car for a proper desert trip, other than preparing it for a stay only in Spain, where wide tyres, sand ladders, shovels, extra fuel & days of off-grid capacity and extended tool´n´spare case isn´t of much need.

Due to lack of horse power but excess of surf gear I have to manage space and weight wisely. Carrying unnecessary desert gear around town and 5000km asphalt is ridiculous. Having to buy it again, because I left it at home feels plain stupid.

Any thoughts on how slim or fat the chances are to fetch a ferry in Tarifa around christmas?

Greets
TT

[TheWarden]

No news at all on when things might change. I would just do your spain trip and if the ferries start up hop over.

A lot of Morocco you wont need extra fuel or capabilities for long stays of grid

[TheWarden]

Morocco has just announced the suspension of travel from the UK, Germany and the Netherlands from 23:59 today until further notice.

[Chris Scott]

until December at the earliest....

according to Simon Calder
https://twitter.com/SimonCalder/stat...01027024838657

Added: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58981507

[TheWarden]

FCO updated its advice about an hour ago, I guess they were caught off guard again.

generally I take any info from an airline or ferry company very cautiously, better to rely on the official updates from the relevant authorities. (eg GNV are still selling ferry tickets for routes they cant run, and have been for 18months, they owe lots of people refunds for those tickets)

[Chris Scott]

I am advised not to assume that I might be able to slip in via Spain, for example.

'... because the last time (when the borders were closed) Morocco prohibited people who had the nationality (passport) of a closed country to return to Morocco, even if they were returning through another country.'

So that loophole may be unreliable.

[TheWarden]

Yes a few people got around the last travel ban that way but they soon closed the loophole. I'm assuming that this time it will be down to your passport origin rather than travel route.

They are advising UK national who may get stuck in Morocco with the flights stopping to travel back via a 3rd country at the moment.

[PanEuropean]

Originally Posted by TodoTerreno

Does anyone see a glimpse of a chance, that ferry connections between Spain and Morocco will return to business as usual by the end of this year? Any news on the horizon, that this may change for the better soon?

Todo:

It's a political issue (the ferry shutdown), not a logistical issue or a COVID-related issue. For that reason it is impossible to make any educated or credible guess about when things will get back to normal.

Morocco's economy is heavily dependent on tourism, but the "parties to the conflict" (Spain & Morocco) have dug in far enough that they have been willing to sacrifice tourism over this political/diplomatic tiff.

Best I can suggest is that you leave all the desert junk at home, and if things suddenly do return to normal, you can hop on a ferry and enjoy the 98% of Morocco that does not require sand ladders, shovels, and wide tires.

Michael

[PanEuropean]

There's an interesting story on the Simple Flying website about Royal Air Maroc flight cancellations to Germany, Netherlands, and the UK.

[berin]

FCO website also says vax passports required from Oct 21 for access to pretty much everything including internal travel, but also hotels restaurants etc. Does anyone know if this is for tourists as well as locals?

[Chris Scott]

Does anyone know if this is for tourists as well as locals?

I thought something similar was announced for locals recently, but seeing as foreigners effectively need a Covid passport (evidence of double vax - have they become the same thing?) to enter the country (were that possible), showing that same 30-day duration document ought not be a problem.

[TheWarden]

Morocco's vax certs brought in from today are for Citizens and Residents, its not possible for a tourist to use it unless you had your vaccination in Morocco.

FCO's latest advice says the NHS Vax cert will work ok. Personally I'd be tempted to use the French Tous Anticovid app with the NHS cert loaded in. Its much easier to use that the NHS app and being in French might have some advantage in Morocco.

One the travel ban, one of the Consulate Wardens in Morocco posted last night that they understood the ban is on nationality so transit through a 3rd country wouldn't work. (However he was waiting for confirmation from the Embassy and is often not the most upto date on info). The FCO simply says speak to your travel agent.

EDIT - UK Embassy in Morocco has commented on FB that transit through a 3rd country is permitted. I would take this with some caution as that loophole was closed when the UK was banned in December 2020