Maldives confirms 6th COVID-19 death: A 54-year-old Bangladeshi man

Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Monday, announced a 54-year-old Bangladeshi man receiving treatment for COVID-19 has passed away.

It marks the sixth COVID-19 related death in Maldives.

According to a statement released by HPA, the patient passed away at 2:30 pm this Monday.

He was hospitalized at the Tree Top Hospital in suburban Hulhumale’.

Maldives identified its first coronavirus case on March 7, and declared a state of public health emergency over the pandemic four days later on March 11.

While coronavirus cases had initially been restricted to resorts and safaris, and later quarantine facilities holding inbound travelers, Male’ City identified its first coronavirus case on April 15, prompting a city-wide lockdown and a nationwide ban on nonessential travel.

The populous Male’ City has since become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, contributing to over 90 percent of the total cases.

Maldives has a population of close to 150,000 migrant workers, some 63,000 of whom are undocumented.

Most of the migrant workers in Maldives are Bangladeshis, and live in congested labor quarters which make them particular vulnerable to infectious diseases such as the new coronavirus.

The vulnerability of migrant workers is evident from records of coronavirus cases released by the health authorities. Maldives has recorded 1,773 coronavirus cases, 31 percent of whom are Maldivians, while the remaining 69 percent are foreign nationals. 974 people – making for 54 percent of total coronavirus cases – are Bangladeshis. And the death of the 54-year-old Bangladeshi coronavirus patient this Monday means three of the six coronavirus fatalities in Maldives are Bangladeshis.

The Director General of Public Health has ordered migrant workers in Male’ City who are vulnerable to getting infected with the disease be moved to quarantine facilities. Hundreds have been moved to quarantine facilities in Hulhumale’ and Gulhifalhu, and the government is working on building additional quarantine facilities to house more migrant workers.

The government has also launched an operation to repatriate undocumented migrant workers back to their home countries. The government has announced that some 5,000 undocumented workers will be repatriated in the coming three months.