Morocco bans fans from football games over coronavirus fears

Morocco has banned fans from attending football games days after the coronavirus reached the country. The Moroccan football association (FRMF) announced the decision on Wednesday two days after the index case was reported.

Among the measures, the organization of matches behind closed doors, but above all the cancellation of matches with teams from countries affected by the epidemic.

A 39-year-old Moroccan man coming from the northern Italian city of Bergamo was Morocco’s first confirmed case of coronavirus on Monday, the health ministry said.

Aside football games, the North African country cancelled an international agricultural fair, due to take place in April. A number of cultural and sports events have been put on hold as as authorities continue to implement precautionary measures at entry points and hospitals to prevent the spread of the virus.

“Because events offer opportunities for contact and opportunities for transmission of infection, in order to safeguard the public and citizens, we have taken these precautions, and these same measures have been taken in many countries, as a matter of vigilance and as a proactive process because protecting the health of citizens is more important than anything else,” Hassan Abyaba, the sector minister told the press.