President asks civil servants to be on standby to aid in virus combat

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has appealed to all employees of State institutions and State-owned enterprises to be on standby to assist in the national emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the identification of the first virus case in Male’ City on April 15, cases in the populous capital has risen to 66. There are people identified as contacts of the virus patients in residential islands across the country. Healthcare workers, the police, the military, and hundreds of volunteers are working round the clock to control the spread of the virus.

The President’s Office issued a circular early Wednesday morning signed by the Chief of Staff, which highlighted on the need to strengthen the efforts of individual cities, atolls and islands in light of the rapid spread of the virus in several regions of the country.

The Chief of Staff said the President had asked for the assistance of civil servants, employees of the judicial service, and employees of State-owned enterprises to aid in the work of COVID-19 taskforces, local councils, and government offices in cities and island.

“The President of the Republic asked that arrangements to garner the assistance of civil servants be made at the request of relevant authorities. The President also asked that we tell you we require the cooperation of all civil servants in order for this nation to overcome this current crisis,” reads the circular.

The President noted that civil servants were already in the frontlines of the battle to curb the spread of the virus, through their contribution to the COVID-19 taskforces established in residential islands, and various other works.

The President asked that all civil servants adhere to the orders issued by Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the instructions of the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) in treating virus patients, and preventing the spread of the virus.

The government has imposed a lockdown on the greater Male’ region, and has imposed a ban on all unnecessary travel between islands.