Workplaces will reopen with ‘strict controls’ once lockdown eased

National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) announced on Monday that private offices may not be allowed to reopen in the first one-month period after the lockdown on the Maldivian capital is eased, and that while government offices will be allowed to reopen, it will be done with strict anti-virus controls.

The Maldivian government has announced plans to ease the lockdown after May 28, if the country continues to comply with the restrictions in place to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, and if the day-to-day new virus cases decline. The restrictions will be eased in phases.

At a NEOC press briefing on Monday, spokesperson Mabrouq Azeez said the first phase will last at least one month, and that private offices may not be allowed to reopen during the period.

He noted that the authorities were in the middle of drafting guidelines on the easement of the lockdown, and said that he won’t be able to offer a definitive answer until the guidelines are finalized.

“In the first phase of easements, office work will be minimal or heavily constricted. Or private offices may not reopen in the first phase. This is how it will be in phase one. As to the specifics, as to which of the two ways it will be, we can only say once it is finalized,” said Mabrouq.

He said that the extent of the eases depend on the capacity of the health system to cater to coronavirus patients, especially those who require advanced medical care, along with the difficulties reopening general health services may pose.

He said that transitioning into the second phase depended on the rate of new infections experienced in the first phase, and that there won’t be a second phase if the infection rate proved exponential.

Mabrouq said that the one sure thing that Maldives can expect amid the preparations to ease the lockdown is that tourists will not be allowed into resorts unless they test negative for the new coronavirus.

He said the government will announce the measures which will be imposed to ensure the health and safety of resort workers soon.

Health Protection Agency (HPA) epidemiologist Dr. Nazla Rafeeq, who joined Mabrouq for Monday’s press briefing, said that the government was now preparing to establish medical facilities which can cater to an increased number of virus patients. She said that it included intensive care facilities, facilities for patients who require hospitalization, and isolation facilities for patients who do not require hospitalization.

“We are working to ensure that the reopening comes with measures such as physical distancing to avoid a sudden spike in virus cases even if the lockdown is eased,” said Dr. Nazla.

The government has announced it will release guidelines for the “new normal” within this week.