COVID-19: Between Panic, Racism and Social Change

Abstract The emergence of the novel coronavirus has led to panic, vulnerability and racism all over the world. This paper traces the roots and routes of the different faces and facets of such responses and explores their impact on individual and collective behaviour. It focuses on the un/ethics of self-care and collective care and the impacts these responses have had on Moroccan society. It argues that the pandemic pushed individuals to behave ‘globally’ against local and cultural norms, demonstrating new societal behaviour that is based on avarice, self-interest and self-care.