Six from Taza water company test positive for virus

Six migrant workers in the Island Beverages Maldives (IBM) Company has tested positive for COVID-19.

The IBM company which produces the Taza bottled water brand confirmed the news in a tweet. The tweet read that it had temporarily suspended operations upon the advice of HPA and were in discussions with the agency regarding recommencing operations.

The Maldives has so far confirmed 1186 cases of COVID-19. The majority of the confirmed cases include migrant workers. More than 500 Bangladeshi nationals have tested positive for the virus.

Authorities are now conducting serology tests to confirm whether there recovered cases of the virus which had gone unidentified in the Maldives. The tests are being conducted mainly among migrant workers who are forced to live in inhumane conditions due to various reasons. Most migrant workers in the country are forced to live in squalor and overcrowded residences. 

The government is working to alleviate the situation in order to curb the spread of the virus.