Morocco’s health ministry reported 4,151 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, the largest one-day rise on record, with nearly half of cases in economic powerhouse Casablanca.
The surge in cases came after Morocco eased some restrictive measures earlier this month, allowing children back to public schools in Casablanca and opening more mosques.
There are now 29,118 active cases in Morocco, which has a coronavirus fatality rate of 1.7% and a recovery rate of 82.7%, according to health ministry data.
The country has so far tested 3.13 million people, and has ordered a COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
The government extended an emergency decree to Nov. 10 giving it leeway to restore restrictive measures in areas with high coronavirus infections.
On the back of the pandemic and drought, the government expects its economy to shrink by 5.8% this year and the fiscal deficit to deepen to 7.5% of gross domestic product.
(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Jan Harvey)
