Temporary accommodation provided to 24 homeless in Male’

Maldives Police Service has announced it has moved 24 people living in the streets of Male’ City to temporary accommodations.

The 24 people were identified and moved out of the streets to shelter in an operation run by the police on Wednesday night – prompted by the emergence of the first cases of COVID-19 in the populous capital.

Male’ and its suburbs – Hulhumale’ and Vilimale’ – are currently under a 24-hour lockdown as authorities work on identifying the source of the outbreak and isolate all those who may have been exposed to the disease.

The Maafannu Police Station distributed food to the homeless – supplied by the government, while the Maldivian Red Crescent, in collaboration with the government, moved them to temporary accommodations.

Meanwhile, the Gender Ministry made sleeping arrangements for migrant workers who were left homeless due to the lockdown.

The mats on which they slept were supplied by the Male’ City Council.

Male’ identified its first COVID-19 case on Wednesday morning. The patient has no recent travel history overseas nor had any contact with any other positive cases.Two others who had contact with the patient have also tested positive, including a toddler – a child of the first patient.

The emergency alert status in Male’ has been upped to ‘red alert’ with the emergence of the cases – the first outbreak of COVID-19 in a residential island.