Just as in many countries, North Africans have been flocking to their neighborhood markets, increasing their shopping in anticipation of a long Covid-19 confinement period. So far, the governments have not been so effecting in communicating their approach. There is clearly a missing communication strategy that would both appease public fear, but would also emphasize the risk of non-compliance with government orders. Most governments use press releases that really no one has access to or even bother reading, and in some cases, officials post statements on their Facebook pages hoping to get social media attention.
Among the various issues confronting governments is the pressure put on the food supply. Algeria’s Minister of Commerce Kamel Rezig called on the population to avoid panic and not to excessively store food products as the country is confronted with a COVID-19 outbreak. “Food products that are available on the market and existing stocks will cover a full year of normal supply,” said the minister on his Facebook page. The call for calm by Rezig comes a couple of days after the Algerian Federation of Consumers (FAC) warned against the practice of “useless storing food products” in this period of “abundance.” There is fear that excessive hording of food could severely reduce food supplies while the country freezes all social and economic activity.
In Morocco, officials also issued statements to the general public urging calm after an unusual spike in food shopping in recent days. The Ministry of Agriculture insisted that the markets are being replenished regularly, as there are no supply disruptions. Media reports show that some specific products have been leaving the shelves in market at usual speed. They no do just include dry food but even fast perishable produce like tomatoes, potatoes and onions, experience unusually high demand. The government, however, sought to appease concerns by saying tomatoes, potatoes and onions are in abundance and supplied by domestic farmers.
