School mid-term break extended by one week over virus fears

Maldivian government, on Wednesday, announced the extension of the school mid-term break by one week as a precautionary measure following the emergence of the pandemic COVID-19 virus in Maldives.

Eight people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maldives, all of whom are foreign nationals who were either working or vacationing in resort islands.

The emergence of the deadly virus in Maldives led to a number of medical doctors, institutions such as the Maldives Medical Association and the Teacher’s Association, and members of the general public urging the government to close schools as a precautionary measure.

At a press conference held at the National Operations Center for COVID-19 on Wednesday night, government spokesperson Mabrook Azeez announced the government had made the decision to extend the school mid-term break by one more week.

The decision means that schools, which were previously scheduled to reopen on Sunday, March 15, will now reopen on Sunday, March 22.

Mabrook added that the government would review its one-week mid-term break extension decision, and keep schools remained closed for longer, depending on the situation.

The government will not hesitate to take any and all necessary action to ensure public health and safety, said Mabrook.

“We, at this time, are holding off the re-opening of schools by one week. After which, we will assess the situation, based on which we will revise our decision, and take additional action necessary,” he said.

Mabrook said the Education Ministry was preparing for the possibility of closing schools for an extended period of time, if necessary, including discussions on implementing alternative schooling methods at home.

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.

The virus 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.