Morocco said Saturday it will ban entry to all travelers from China, where cases of Covid-19 have exploded. Several other nations have said they will require negative Covid tests for all travelers from mainland China. But the Moroccan foreign ministry said in a statement that authorities in the North African country "decided to forbid access to territory of the Kingdom of Morocco for all travelers, whatever their nationality, coming from the People's Republic of China." The ban will take effect on January 3 and last until further notice, "in order to avoid a new wave of contaminations in Morocco and all its consequences," the ministry said. Thousands of tourists visit Morocco from China every year. China said in December that it would end mandatory quarantine for people arriving in the country and that it had abandoned strict measures to contain the virus.