Morocco will stop people entering and leaving some of its biggest cities from midnight to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, the interior and health Ministries said on Sunday. The cities to be locked down include the economic powerhouse of Casablanca as well as Tangier, Marrakech, Fez and Meknes. On Sunday, the health ministry said 633 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, one of the biggest daily rises so far, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 20,278, with 313 deaths and 16,438 recoveries. SEE ALSO: WTA can weather revenue hit but no normalcy until 2022Covid 19 Time SeriesMorocco has carried out 1.1 million tests and has made mask-wearing mandatory. The government expects Morocco to record a budget deficit of 7.5 per cent of gross domestic product this year, and the economy to shrink by 5 per cent.

Source: Standard Digital July 27, 2020 06:56 UTC