Maldives records 13th COVID-19 death: a 70-year-old woman

Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Wednesday, announced a woman taken to Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), who was declared deceased upon arrival, has tested positive for the new coronavirus.

The deceased has been identified by HPA as a 70-year-old Maldivian woman.

She was declared death upon arrival at IGMH in Male’ City at 01:00 pm this Wednesday.

It marks the 13th coronavirus-related death in Maldives.

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

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

The populous capital quickly emerged as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Maldives, contributing to over 90 percent of total cases.

Maldives has 2,501 confirmed coronavirus cases, out of whom 2,158 have since recovered, while 13 have died from complications.

35 percent of the 2,501 coronavirus cases in the country are Maldivians, while the remaining 65 percent are foreign nationals. 1,288 people – making for 51 percent of total coronavirus cases – are Bangladeshis. The rest of the coronavirus cases include 899 Maldivians, 227 Indians, 44 Nepalese, and 19 Sri Lankans and 11 Italians.

Maldives began relaxing its lockdown following a drop in daily infections in the end of May.

The beginning of July has seen further relaxation of coronavirus restrictions; mosques in the greater Male’ region have been reopened for congregational prayers for the first time in over three months, cafes and restaurants have been allowed to reopen for dine-in services, and government offices and courthouses have officially reopened.

While those who leave the greater Male’ region are still subject to mandatory quarantine, people from other residential islands are now allowed to enter the capital without special authorization.