HEOC to expand operations in response to surge in coronavirus cases

Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) spokesperson Dr. Nazla Rafeeq announced on Wednesday that the center is working to expand its operations in response to the surge in coronavirus cases in Maldives.

In a press conference to deliver the latest coronavirus-related updates, Dr. Nazla, an epidemiologist, said that the surge in coronavirus cases is also fueling misinformation.

“Some people are saying that there are new imported COVID-19 cases in Maldives. We want to clarify that the disease was never eradicated,” she said.

Dr. Nazla said that while the lockdown in the greater Male’ region – the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Maldives - had served to control the spread, the disease was never eradicated from the country.

She said that the decision to relax the lockdown had been made following a drop in coronavirus cases, and that people were instructed to follow specific guidelines to keep the virus numbers down.

The national coronavirus response was previously coordinated through National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), the largest multi-sectorial government operations center ever established in Maldives.  However, NEOC was disbanded and its responsibilities transferred to HEOC in July, as part of the government’s strategy to steer Maldives towards a “new normal”.

However, greater public movement following the relaxation of the lockdown in July led to a surge in coronavirus cases, and the authorities moved to re-impose restrictive measures.

Maldives has 4,366 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 143 new cases recorded on Wednesday. 2,884 of the patients have since recovered, while 21 have died from complications.

The country now has 2,461 active cases. 150 coronavirus patients are hospitalized.