Person in Male' city being quarantined over Covid-19 suspicions

A local staff of Emirates Airlines ticketing office in Male who had developed symptoms of covid-19 has been quarantined after it was revealed she had come in contact with an Italian tourist who was tested positive for the global pandemic.

Government Spokesperson on Covid-19, Undersecretary of the President's Office Mohamed Mabrouq Azeez said this afternoon that the Italian national who was tested positive to covid-19 upon arrival in Italy after holidaying in the Maldives, had spent two days in the Maldivian capital after being unable to fly back to Italy on an Alitalia flight.

The tourist spent two days in Male City's Maagiri Hotel, and he had visited Emirates Male Office to arrange a flight back home.

Mabrouq said that the suspect quarantined from Male City earlier today is the employee of the ticketing office who directly dealt and had contact with the Italian national.

"We knew that he [the tourist] had visited the ticketing office. One person whom we recommended self-isolation to, developed symptoms of the virus. Therefore we are working on taking the person to isolation in Farukolhufushi," Mabrouq said.

He said that 15 others were identified during the Italian's contact-tracing process. They are all under self-isolation, but currently possess no symptoms of covid-19. 

The Italian tourist developed covid-19 symptoms while holidaying at Kuredu Resort. The tourist had consulted the resident doctor at the resort too. Mabrouq said the authorities were looking into how and why they were uninformed about the suspect's denied departure. He assured that the government will take necessary action.

Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen, in a press conference last night, said that a total of 174 people had been in contact with the Italian tourist in Kuredu Resort. 

Until today, a total of four people have been tested positive for covid-19 in the Maldives. They are two foreign employees at Kuredu Resort and two tourists at Sandies Bathala Resort.