Rabat - The holy Muslim month of Ramadaan is
proving particularly lonely and challenging for 30 Moroccan
doctors and nurses who have been living in a luxury hotel now
for nearly seven weeks to avoid the risk of infecting their
families with the new coronavirus.
They shuttle back and forth every day between the five-star
Hotel Dawliz and the Moulay Abdellah hospital in Sale, located
on the other side of the Bouregreg river from the capital Rabat.
"My father is asthmatic and I would never forgive myself if
I took the virus home," said Mustapha Zeroual, 36, an intensive
care nurse.
The medics spend their free time watching television
together, chatting, reading or working out, but must always stay
more than a metre apart. They keep in touch with their families
through phone calls and social media.
The separation is especially gruelling during Ramadaan,
Islam's fasting month, when people traditionally get together
during the long nights with loved ones, friends and neighbours
to share food and drink.
"The last time I saw my parents was from the window 15 days
ago when I went home to collect some clothes," Zeroual said.
Doctor Meryem Bouchbika and medical stuff eat lunch in the office at Prince Moulay Abdellah hospital in Sale, Morocco. Picture: Youssef Boudlal/Reuters
This year, Ramadaan began on April 28.
"RISK IS PART OF OUR JOB"
Large numbers of Moroccan healthcare workers have opted to
stay in hotels since the country went into lockdown on March 20
to slow the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused
by the virus.
Doctor Meryem Bouchbika and her colleague Chaima hold a sample tube as they treat Covid-19 patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Prince Moulay Abdellah hospital in Sale, Morocco. Picture: Youssef Boudlal/Reuters
The North African country, which has about 36 million
people, has so far reported 5,053 confirmed cases of Covid-19
and 179 deaths.
Morocco has fewer than 1,000 intensive care doctors, so
keeping them healthy is critical to its pandemic response.
Nurse anaesthetist Jamal Bekali takes off his protective gear at Prince Moulay Abdellah hospital in Sale, Morocco. Picture: Youssef Boudlal/Reuters
Many hotels across the kingdom have offered to host medical
staff or to isolate mild cases until they test negative and can
return home. Local authorities are paying.
Hotel Dawliz, situated on the waterfront near where the
broad sweep of the Bouregreg meets the Atlantic, would normally
charge upwards of $170 for a room.
But even there, the doctors and nurses find it hard to
switch off from work.
Nurse anaesthetist Teimi Hakima uses a laptop to make a video call and speak with her family in her room at hotel Dawliz which is used as a temporary shelter location for all medical staff to increase social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak in Sale, Morocco. Picture: Youssef Boudlal/Reuters
"In our free time we continue to check on our patients. The
recovery of every patient is a great victory for us all,"
Zeroual said.
Not all healthcare workers are staying in hotels. Some
decided to take the risk of remaining with their families and
must take extra precautions to avoid contagion.
Doctor Meryem Bouchbika hugs her two young girls before going to bed in her home as the spread of the coronavirus continues in Sale, Morocco. Picture: Leila Bensghir/Reuters
Meryem Bouchbika, an intensive care doctor living with her
husband and two daughters, burst into tears when speaking of the
care she must take around them at home to prevent infection.
"Risk is part of our job and the call of duty takes
priority, but I am more concerned for my children than for
myself," she said.