State of public health emergency in the Maldives extended

The government of the Maldives has just announced that the state of public health emergency declared in the Maldives is to be extended until the end of April.

The state of public health emergency in the Maldives was declared on March 12, by the Director General of Public Health under the powers granted to her by law.

The government offices in the country have been closed for nearly three weeks now and is set to remain shut for another week.

Schools, colleges and universities have also been closed. Cafés and restaurants are also closed as the government urges people to remain indoors during this time and practice social distancing.

The government has officially announced that a week-long curfew declared in the Maldives would be lifted yesterday, but still prohibited groups of more than three people in public areas.

The extension was made by Health Minister Abdulla Ameen. Prior to the extension the state of public health emergency was set to lapse on Sunday.

The motion by the authorities declared tonight stated that the Director-General of Public Health had advised that the risk of the virus spreading in the Maldives was still very much real and had advised to take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the public.

The extended state of public health emergency is set to expire on April 30.

Section 33 of Public Health Act sets down the measures which may be taken during a public health emergency. It includes:

• Closure of schools.
• Issuance of orders to ban all public gatherings.
• Issuance of orders to restrict public gatherings in specific locations for specific durations of time.
• Banning or restricting domestic transport.
• Repurposing of property of private citizens as quarantine facilities.