MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Morocco halts flights to / from UK, Netherlands over increasing number of COVID-19 cases

Morocco is a popular destination for European travelers

The Government of Morocco has banned flights to the United Kingdom or returning from their effective Thursday over concerns about an increasing number of COVID-19 infections.

The measure will remain in place “until further notice,” the Moroccan National Office of Airports explained.

The decision to block travel could impact families in England and Wales planning to travel to the popular tourist location for Britons during the half-term holidays, which begin next week.

After the announcement, EasyJet has cancelled outbound flights from the UK to Morocco until Nov. 30 and is now negotiating with Moroccan authorities to carry out repatriation flights for UK citizens stranded there.

The Moroccan decision comes as British officials record over 40,000 new Covid cases per day, and the country reported its highest single-day deaths from coronavirus since March. In the past two weeks, the UK has reported more COVID-19 cases than France, Germany, Italy and Spain combined, in what appears to be “a winter crisis.”

Morocco applied the same measure on flights to and from the Netherlands. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs' current advice for people stuck in Morocco is to find “alternatives to travel via other countries near the Netherlands,” it was reported.

Dutch carrier Transavia alone transported 3,500 people to the country in the past week. “We are looking at whether we can get permission to fly longer to pick up stranded travelers in Morocco,” a spokesperson for Transavia said.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs also explained it was still unclear when the measure was to be lifted.