COVID-19: 22 positive cases, 94 recoveries

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has announced that 22 cases of COVID-19 were tested positive in the Maldives in the last 24 hours. HPA also announced that 94 individuals have made recoveries from the virus today.

The positive cases tonight include:

• 09 locals
• 09 Bangladeshi nationals
• 01 Indian national
• 02 Nepali nationals
• 01 Thailand national

The positive cases today include an elderly local of 83 who has health complications,

The total number of confirmed cases in the country has nor increased to 2,035. Currently, there are 462 individuals in isolation along with 341 individuals in quarantine.

The number of recoveries in the country has also increased to 1,311, with 94 recoveries confirmed today. Currently, there are 714 active cases in the country. 

Authorities have so far collected 34,677 samples of the virus including repeat samples. The Maldives has recorded eight deaths from the virus. They are four elderly locals and four Bangladeshi nationals.

The Maldives identified its first COVID-19 case on March 7 and declared a state of public health emergency over the pandemic four days later on March 11.

While COVID-19 cases had initially been restricted to resorts and safaris, and later quarantine facilities holding inbound travelers, Male’ City identified its first COVID-19 case on April 15, prompting a city-wide lockdown and a nationwide ban on nonessential travel.

The populous Male’ City has since become the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, contributing to over 90 percent of the total cases.

34 percent of the 2,013 COVID-19 cases in the country are Maldivians, while the remaining 66 percent are foreign nationals. 1,065 people – making for 52 percent of total COVID-19 cases – are Bangladeshis. The rest of the COVID-19 cases include 701 Maldivians, 191 Indians, 26 Nepalese, and 11 Italians, and 11 Sri Lankans.

The Maldives has also confirmed eight COVID-19 related deaths, four of whom are Maldivians and four of whom are Bangladeshis.

The Maldives began relaxing the lockdown in a bid to promote economic activity and return to normal life in late May. It will enter the second phase of the lockdown easements by tomorrow, which will see the residents of Male’ City outdoors without a permit for the first time in two months.