Thousands of Moroccans who once crossed into Spanish enclaves on the North African coast to work every day are struggling after six months of border closures due to coronavirus restrictions.

“Everything is at a standstill,” said 43-year-old Mohamed Bouhlal, who worries how to pay his rent. He fears he and his family will be thrown out of their home.

The frontiers of the two Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which have the only land borders between the European Union and Africa, have been shut since March in a bid to forestall the spread of the novel coronavirus.