Lockdown on 3 resorts lifted, but some areas remain cordoned off

Maldivian authorities, on Wednesday evening, lifted the temporary restrictive measures imposed for the prevention and control of COVID-19 on the three resort islands – Kuredu Island Resort, Sandies Bathala, and Kuramathi Maldives.

Kuredu, Sandies Bathala and Kuramathi are the three resorts linked to the eight confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maldives.

Of the eight people who have tested positive for the deadly virus, four were foreign workers from Kuredu, two were tourists vacationing at Sandies Bathala, and two were tourists vacationing at Kuramathi.

The eight had been moved to quarantine facilities, and the resorts had remained locked down while Health Protection Agency (HPA) conducted contact tracing.

HPA, in a statement on Wednesday evening, announced that it had lifted the temporary restrictive measures imposed on all three resorts.

While the resorts have now been reopened, areas within the three resorts remain cordoned off to hold people identified as high-risk who must remain isolated for the duration mandated by HPA.

HPA has urged the management of the three resorts to maintain the cordoned areas, to keep the people identified as low-risk segregated from the high-risk people, and to monitor and ensure individual adherence to infection prevention and control procedures.

Public health professionals remain at the three resorts to implement infection prevention and control procedures, and all persons are subject to exit screening prior to any movement out of the resorts, said HPA.

NEW SUSPECTED COVID-19 CASE IN SANDIES BATHALA

At a press conference held at Dharubaaruge on Wednesday night, government spokesperson Mabrook Azeez said that authorities were working on moving a worker who came into contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 from Sandies Bathala to the isolation facility in Farukolhufushi for further monitoring and testing after the person began exhibiting symptoms of the virus.

MALDIVIAN CITIZEN MOVED TO FARUKOLHUFUSHI

Furthermore, a Maldivian citizen who had stayed in the same building as a person who had tested positive for COVID-19 in Malaysia, who began exhibiting symptoms upon return to Maldives, was also moved to Farukolhufushi for further monitoring and testing.

SAMPLES TAKEN FROM FOREIGN NATIONAL AT SUN AQUA IRU VELI

 HPA has also confirmed samples have been taken from a foreign national at Sun Aqua Iru Veli who was also exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 as a precautionary measure.

MALDIVIAN CITIZEN IN FARUKOLHUFUSHI TESTS NEGATIVE FOR COVID-19

Meanwhile, a Maldivian citizen who had been moved to Farukolhufoshi was moved back to self-isolation at home after testing negative for COVID-19.

COVID-19 has now spread to 120 countries and infected 126,012 people. The number of people who have recovered stands at 67,051, while the death toll stands at 4,615.

The COVID-19 has now been declared as a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO), which has urged aggressive action from all countries to combat the disease.