COVID-19 - Morocco Master Thread

[Chris Scott]

Interesting answer from the Brit embassy in Rabat wrt flights via/from another country.
You'd think it makes a mockery of the whole idea of restricting certain nationals, rather than the direct flights they use.

https://twitter.com/r3b3ccak3nyon/st...17755398160387

The updated FCO page appears to suggest the same, but seems ambivalent about the difference between going there following the new rule, as opposed to being stuck there now and trying to get home – which will have to be via another country.

Travellers affected by flight cancellations should contact their airline or tour operator for advice on alternative routes via third countries (eg France, Spain) where flights are operating as normal.

Simon Calder also writes
... so travel to and from Morocco via France or Spain is still possible for British travellers - but links are likely to be more expensive and more complicated

So maybe worth a gamble.
You'd hope they'd check and possibly stop you at an EU airport (for example) like they do with a visa, and not once at Moroccan immigration.

[Tim Cullis]

I do expect British passport holders to eventually be refused entry to Morocco but in the meantime, whether deliberate or not, the Moroccan authorities have done travellers a favour by suspending flights rather than banning nationalities.

If British passport holders were unable to enter, the airlines could have continued the flights with a practically empty plane and refused refunds on the basis it wasn't their problem that the travellers didn't meet Morocco's requirements. Several airlines played this trick in 2020.

As it is, those planes are probably flying into Morocco empty anyway to repatriate customers who are on holiday, but the airline is paying the costs of the empty flight to Morocco without passengers.

In 2020, some airlines cancelled the return flights for holidaymakers who were already in Morocco, and then offered repatriation flights at a much increased cost which took into account that the airline was flying to Morocco without revenue. RAM was one of those involved.

TUI reckons it has 2,000 customers in Morocco, so that's maybe 15 plane loads. Morocco was quite tardy last time giving permission to airlines to operate repatriation flights so this might take a while.

[Tim Cullis]

UK, Germany, Netherlands moved to 'B' list from 20 Oct 2021

If you are fully vaccinated the only change is the requirement to show a negative PCR test performed less than 48 hours before boarding plane (or in case of a ferry, a PCR test carried out on board). Some travellers reported being turned back yesterday before this news was properly distributed.

If you are not fully vaccinated, don't bother as it means quarantine in a government hotel.

For more details see https://www.onda.ma/en/I-am-passenge...er-information

[TheWarden]

No logical sense in it.

The only direct travel between the UK and Morocco is by air (unless you have your own boat or charter one)

Flights are Banned

We're now list B which means you can travel - but you cant because the direct travel options are banned.

The 3rd country loophole was closed quickly after the ban last December. I was in contact with UK nationals who had been out of the UK for 6 months, with evidence, who weren't allowed entry when the loophole closed

With last years lockdown in Morocco, repat flights were authorised quickly, we were looking at the options for the repat flights on the 16th March (lockdown started on the 20th but most ferries and flights had been suspended by then)

It was also very obvious last year that our embassy was deeply out of their depth in dealing with the situation and aiding uk nationals. The worst side was the inaccurate and often conflicting information the embassy and its staff provided.

They have got better, but have still been slow or inaccurate with info at times, I'll still take much of what they say cautiously after my experience with them last year.

The List B change makes no difference to UK nationals catching ferries, as its the country the ferry originates from that's important (France List B, Italy List A).

[PanEuropean]

Originally Posted by TheWarden

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.

Apropos of "vaccination certificates", whilst touring Europe last month I discovered that the Government of France will happily issue a EC-specification vaccination certificate to any citizen of any non-EC country who fills in a form on the French government website and provides proof of vaccination(s) with vaccines that are approved for use in the EC.

This was of great value to me (a Canadian citizen) while riding through CH, A, PL, and D last month - the EC certificate works everywhere. An EC certificate might be more readily accepted in Morocco than a UK certificate, if only because the Moroccan immigration staff will be more familiar with the EC certificate.

Here is a link to where to apply, including instructions: Applying for a COVID certificate if you were vaccinated abroad (procedure for non-European nationals entering France and non-European students).

Be aware that it took the French a couple of weeks to process my request and email the certificate to me. That might have been because I supplied proof of vaccination from Canada, and perhaps they were not familiar with the Canadian documents. But in the end, they emailed me, in PDF form, a EC specification certificate that worked just fine in all the above-mentioned countries.

Michael

[TheWarden]

When I had a PCR test in France a few weeks back, the government sent a link with a pdf COVID pass and a link to add the same pass into the wallet on their covid app within a few minutes of notification of the result from the lab. A very efficient system.

Getting back to Morocco's recent news, I found an interesting article about the reasons behind the sudden decision. If the content is correct, I suspect the 3rd country loophole with be swiftly closed as we saw last winter.

https://www.medias24.com/2021/10/22/...zBpuy9S_6QJ-lc

[Tim Cullis]

Dr Tayab Hamdi is a Moroccan medical specialist and researcher in health policies and systems, and a member of the National Health Committee advising the government, nevertheless is taking most of his information from the BBC.

The AY4.2 variant was first sequenced in the UK in July, see https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-58965650

For all its faults elsewhere, the UK is THE world leader in sequencing the coronavirus genome enabling it to spot a more contagious, and possibly more deadly, variant of the virus that in most countries has long gone unnoticed. The fact that a variant is first identified in the UK has more to do with the sequencing than the origin of the variant.

[PanEuropean]

Here is a link to an interesting article on the "Simple Flying" website that provides more granular detail about the recent Moroccan flight ban:

COVID Flight Ban Cancels 12% Of Morocco’s Flights.

The article also mentions new routes planned between Morocco and the British Isles.

On the same website, the same day, is an article announcing the resumption of flights between Canada and Morocco: Royal Air Maroc Relaunches Flights To Canada. Details about the COVID control requirements imposed by the Canadian government on flights between Canada and Morocco can be found at the Transport Canada website, here: Transport Canada introducing new measures for the reintroduction of direct flights from Morocco on October 29, 2021.

Michael

[Chris Scott]

I read from Gerbert (HUBB contributor)

Royal Air Maroc says it resumes flights from the Netherlands on monday!

Hopefully UK and DE too, sooner than later

[gvdaa]

Two friends of mine, whose RAM flight was cancelled, are now booked on a flight next monday. They booked by phone through RAM in the Netherlands! We'll see what happens

[Tim Cullis]

Ryanair is still selling flights to Morocco for early November, see Tripadvisor discussion

In an email to an already booked customer Ryanair warns that flight times might be between one and five hours longer than normal. This makes me think they are touching down en-route so they can claim the flight is not direct.

[Chris Scott]

Yes, I was wondering if RAM might be doing that too to use the current loophole. So I wish easyJet would offer it with mine.
We shall find out soon.

[TheWarden]

The airlines and ferry companies have been selling tickets for services that didn't/couldn't operate since the beginning of the pandemic. I wouldn't get my hopes up based on tickets being available.

SoE gets reviewed tomorrow so we will hear something, even if its just the expected extension.

[TheWarden]

SOE extended until end of November. No news on borders or ferries and flights.

[TheWarden]

Spain has extended the closure of its borders with Morocco another month to the end of November