Reuters
The repercussions of the economic crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic have caused the poverty rate to multiply 7 times in Morocco and the rate of vulnerability twice, according to a government study.
The official statistics agency said that “in the context of the health crisis, the poverty rate doubled 7 times at the national level, moving from 1.7% before this crisis to 11.7% during the quarantine,” which lasted more than three months.
Moreover, the rate of vulnerability “more than doubled, moving from 7.3% before quarantine to 16.7% during quarantine”, especially in rural areas.
On the other hand, government aid, from which about 5 million families benefited during three months, “reduced poverty by 9 percentage points, vulnerability by 8 points, and social disparities by 6 points.”
The authority called for “taking urgent measures to combat the exacerbation of vulnerability and to enhance the resilience of families who have suffered from the health crisis.”
Even before the outbreak of the pandemic, official reports warned of the exacerbation of social and spatial disparities in Morocco.
In order to return to a normal life and resume economic activity, the Kingdom has been betting on a national vaccination campaign since the end of January, as more than 4.2 million people have benefited from the campaign, including more than 2.8 million who received the second dose of the British AstraZeneca or Chinese Sinopharm vaccines. Local media recently warned of the possibility of a slowdown in the pace of the campaign due to fears of a delay in receiving the doses of the two vaccines.
Source: AFP
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