Martyrs' Day ceremony canceled due virus precautions

Home Ministry has decided to cancel the Martyrs' Day ceremony for this year.

In a tweet, the Ministry made the announcement that the ceremony was canceled due to the instructions to refrain from public gatherings following the confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus in the Maldives.

Other activities to celebrate the day that does not involve public gatherings would still go ahead, according to the ministry.

Martyrs' Day is to commemorate the death of Sultan Ali Vi and the battle fought against Portuguese with little support from the rest of the people. The sultan died on the battlefield in 1558 and is considered a national hero and a martyr.