-->
Speaking at a joint plenary session of the two houses of the parliament, El Otmani explained that this decision was also dictated by the worrying epidemiological developments recorded in several neighboring countries, especially with the emergence of new variants in many regions of the country.
The National Scientific Commission, which had held two meetings on March 11 and April 6, 2021, to examine the national epidemiological situation and assess the risks it presents, has unanimously recommended the extension, during the month of Ramadan, of the precautionary measures currently in force, he said.
The objective is to protect citizens from the risks of a new wave and limit as much as possible the negative effects in the event of the outbreak of this new wave, El Otmani added.
This decision was taken and announced one week before the start of the month of Ramadan in order to allow citizens, traders, businesses and service providers to make the necessary arrangements, he said, adding that the decision aims to safeguard the health of citizens and improve the epidemiological situation.
This "proactive" decision was taken in order to avoid the scenario of the previous Eid Al Adha, which saw an increase in COVID-19 cases, the official pointed out.
El Otmani, who welcomed the respect by citizens of the measures issued by the public authorities to fight against the pandemic and its repercussions, called for respecting preventive measures and adopting barrier gestures.