Mabrouq responds: We cannot stay idle by saying that virus will spread to islands

In a press conference last night, National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) spokesperson Mabrouq Azeez stated that the government was working to avoid a community spread in other islands of the country. He firmly stated that the government cannot remain idle by saying that the virus will spread all over the country.

Mabrouq was responding to a question by a journalist regarding a statement by the Speaker of the Parliament and former President Mohamed Nasheed. The Speaker had stated in yesterday’s parliamentary session that the virus would spread to all islands of the country and infect everyone. 

During yesterday’s session, Nasheed and a number of MPs had lamented the government policy of quarantining people in designated facilities. Described as a more cost-effective method, MPs and even the Speaker expressed their support to quarantining people in their own residential islands.

People who had traveled to the capital prior to the lockdown for essential purposes are currently required to complete a 14-day quarantine period in a government-designated facility before they can return back home.

Many citizens have expressed their dismay at being stranded in the capital, which was incurring them financial losses every day. This was the main predicament that led the government to attempt to return these citizens back to their islands.

NEOC spokesperson Mabrouq, responded last night by saying that the quarantine procedures were not up to the highest standards in some cases when people were quarantined in their own islands. In some cases, the quarantined individual may be in contact with another individual or more.

This was an issue that was noted by some councils who had made such arrangements, said Mabrouq.

Discussions with Police and Technical Advisory Group had led to the conclusion that there was no way to guarantee the enforcement of the quarantine om such a situation and at a time when the capital was faced with a surge of virus cases.

Speaker Nasheed had said in yesterday’s Parliamentary session that even though the Maldives was a dispersed island nation, it was highly likely that the virus would spread to all islands of the country. This was one of the reasons why he stated his support for quarantining people in their own islands. 

Nasheed had even stated that if the government wished to fully control the virus, it would have to place everyone in a small cell. 

“We cannot take that risk. For a community spread to occur on another island.” Said Mabrouq.

The government had first worked with the mindset that the virus would be identified in the country, said Mabrouq who added that now that there was a community spread, the government’s major focus was on preventing the spread of it to other islands.

There are also ethical reasons behind the policy on returning locals to their islands, said Mabrouq.

“We have to work as much as we can to protect every island in the country. The virus may even spread to another island. But we do not want to be nor can we stay idle and remain so by saying that.” Said Mabrouq, before reiterating that the government would work to prevent the virus from spreading to other areas.

“To work for that is what we see as the right way in our progress.” Said Mabrouq. 

Maldives has so far confirmed 968 cases of COVID-19. The country has recorded four deaths as well as 40 recoveries.