This archive report was first published on 6 May 2020.
On May 6, 2020, Morocco's efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic took an innovative turn with the rapid expansion of its drone fleet. The country has been employing drones for various purposes, including aerial surveillance, public service announcements, and sanitization.
According to Yassine Qamous, chief of Droneway Maroc, the demand for drones has tripled in Morocco and other countries in the region in recent weeks. Moroccan firms have been using drones for years, and Qamous notes that Morocco is among the most advanced countries in Africa for unmanned flight, with a dedicated industrial base, researchers, and qualified pilots.
However, restrictive regulations have long limited civilian drones to specific applications such as filming, agriculture, monitoring solar panels, and mapping. The novel coronavirus has changed this rapidly, with authorities employing drones to issue warnings, identify suspicious movement in the streets, and disperse illegal rooftop and balcony gatherings.
One Moroccan startup company is developing drones equipped with thermal cameras to detect people with fevers. Local authorities in Temara, a town near the capital Rabat, have launched a high-precision aerial surveillance system developed by local company Beti3D. Other countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East have also adopted technology deployed in China since the start of the pandemic, whether for tracking the movements of citizens, disinfecting public spaces, or facilitating deliveries.
“Drones have quickly emerged as a vital technology for public safety agencies during this crisis as they can safely monitor public spaces,” according to the website of DJI, the world's top drone maker. Like most countries, Morocco primarily uses imported Chinese drones. However, the emergence of new applications linked to the pandemic is also driving local production of specialized aerial vehicles.
Abderrahmane Krioual, the head of Farasha, a startup that has raised funds to produce drones for thermal surveillance and aerial disinfectant spraying, notes that there is real demand for these specialized drones. The aeronautics department of the International University of Rabat (UIR) has offered its facilities, expertise, and prototypes to authorities, deploying drones with loudspeakers or infrared cameras able to detect movement at night or spot individuals with high temperatures.
Despite the use of surveillance drones, Morocco has not seen a public debate on the issue. The country's authoritarian response to the pandemic has been widely supported, with a strict lockdown imposed in March. Those found guilty of violating lockdown measures face one to three months in prison, a fine equivalent to $125, or both. Officials say police have arrested 85,000 people for breaching lockdown measures between March 15 and April 30, bringing 50,000 prosecutions.
