Rabat - Turkish Airlines has scheduled nine special flights from Morocco to Turkey.

The Turkish Embassy in Rabat announced the news on its Facebook page, saying the flights will be operational on January 12.

Turkish Airlines scheduled its first flight on January 12. The airline will further operate special flights on January 14, January 16, January 19, January 21, January 23, January 26, January 28, and January  30.

The embassy said passengers wanting to purchase tickets for these special flights can find them at Turkish Airlines agencies in Casablanca, on the company’s website, or at travel agencies.

The flights are part of alternative measures after Morocco closed its borders in line with preventive measures, seeking to counter COVID-19 and its emerging strains.

Moroccan authorities announced a travel ban on November 29 and have extended the measure ever since. The travel ban will continue until January 31.

Royal Air Maroc also released special flights to help stranded Moroccans return home in December 2021.

The December flights included trips from Morocco to several destinations across the world to help stranded people return home.

The travel ban came after concerns mounted due to the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Health professionals are warning that the Omicron variant is spreading in Morocco. The North African country officially confirmed 28 Omicron cases. No updated data has been released on the actual number of the new strain.

The Health Ministry, however, acknowledged that Morocco is witnessing a peak in the number of COVID-19 cases. The North African country entered a third wave of the pandemic three weeks ago.

Cases in Morocco have seen an unprecedented rise over the past month. New daily cases have increased from 90 a day on December 5 to more than 5,000 new cases a day on January 5.