HPA closes down multiple café's, tea shops and restaurants in Male’

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has closed down some of the cafes, tea shops and restaurants in Male’ City found in violation of the safety guidelines issued by the agency in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The businesses were closed down following a mass inspection conducted by HPA on cafés and restaurants, shops, gyms and fitness centers, salons and markets on Wednesday.

Notices have been displayed outside the businesses which were closed down, declaring that the closure is due to violation of the COVID-19 safety guidelines.

HPA has announced that businesses closed down in the inspection are required to remedy the violations and inform the agency, following which they will conduct a follow up inspection before allowing them to reopen.

“Those issued ‘closure notice’ are instructed to call 7285216 between 9:00 in the morning and 6:00 in the evening for follow-up inspections after remedying the violations and/or to clarify further information,” announced HPA in a tweet.

1,475 businesses were inspected in a mass inspection conducted by HPA, Male’ City Council and other State instructions earlier this July to ensure adherence to ‘new normal’ guidelines.  Male’ City Council has stated that 68 percent of the businesses were found to be adhering to the guidelines.

The latest inspection comes after Maldives recorded 137 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, marking the biggest single-day spike of coronavirus cases to be recorded in Maldives in nearly two months.

It increases total coronavirus cases in Maldives to 3,506, out of whom 2,547 have since recovered, while 15 have died from complications.

Health Minister Abdulla Ameen has urged the public to take necessary precautions, warning that the “sound of the danger alarm is getting louder.”