Refugees in Morocco: Full Compliance with Health Confinement Measures (HCP)

24 September 2020 Printable Version

Casablanca - Almost all refugees (99.3%) complied with health confinement measures, with full compliance for 90.4% and partial compliance for 8.9%, against 79% and 21% respectively for Moroccan households, according to the High Commission for Planning (HCP).

In addition, seven refugee households out of 10 (70.3%), have been confined since the adoption of the state of health emergency in Morocco and 23.3% since the date of school closure, said the HCP in a survey on "the impact of Covid-19 on the socio-economic and psychological situation of refugees in Morocco", conducted in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The survey also revealed that people who left the home during the health confinement were the head of the household in 74.1% of cases, members aged 25 to 59 years (10.7%), youth aged 18 to 24 years (7%) and the spouse of the head of the household (5.2%).

Sourcing basic consumer goods is the first reason for leaving home with 97.6%, the same source pointed out, noting that far behind, other considerations were mentioned, including the need to settle personal and administrative matters (15.9%), to satisfy sports and recreational needs (11.2%), to have access to medical care (10%) and to go to work (9.4%).

Refugees in Morocco unanimously (99.7%) applied the main barrier gestures against the Covid-19, according to the survey, adding that the measures taken in this direction consist of washing hands regularly with soap for 93.5% of households, wearing masks (78.3%), disinfecting hands regularly and going out less frequently (57%), regularly disinfecting surfaces and objects likely to be infected (42.2%), respecting the rules of social distancing (40.9%), avoiding handshakes and physical greetings (32.6%), bypassing points of sale (32.6%) and wearing gloves (10.5%).

Contrary to Moroccan households, which mainly use national radio and television to obtain information on the evolution of the pandemic, with a share of 87%, refugees turn first to social networks (42.1%), then to national radio and television (37.4%) and finally to the electronic press (11.2%).

Conducted on June 2-8 June 2020, the survey on "the impact of Covid-19 on the socio-economic and psychological situation of refugees in Morocco", aims to assess the impact of the pandemic on the economic, social and psychological situation of this population.