Government offices to remain partially reopen for another week

Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on Saturday, made the decision to extend the partial reopening of government offices to conduct essential work for another one week period from June 14 to June 18.

Government offices have been partially reopened for essential work since May 31, after the President issued the original order on May 30.

The decision to extent the partial reopening of government offices and increase working days from three to four was announced in a press statement released by the President’s Office on Thursday afternoon.

During the period, working days will be limited to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, while the official working hours will be from 09:00 am to 01:00 pm.

However, despite the partial reopening, members of the general public will not be allowed to physically enter any government offices’ premises to seek services.

“Government offices have been instructed to only open offices and present employees for work to conduct work which is absolutely essential to undertake during this time, and to limit the number of employees who must report to work as much as possible,” said the President’s Office in its statement.

The President has granted the authority to relevant government ministers and heads of government offices to open ministries and offices outside of the allocated time if there in a pressing need to conduct essential work.

Relevant government ministers and heads of government offices have been instructed to declare the work which will be conducted by the offices during the period, and to share details of the work to Health Protection Agency (HPA). Ministries and offices are required to conduct its work in accordance with the agency’s instructions, policies and guidelines.

And while government offices may be open during the period, the President has urged that government employees not be asked to report to work for tasks they can conduct from the safety of their homes, and to provide as many services through virtual platforms as possible.

Government offices have been closed since March 19, shortly after 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 capital has since become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, contributing to over 90 percent of total cases.

While coronavirus cases have increased to 1,962, 1,121 patients have since recovered and eight have died from complications.

The decision to extend the partial reopening of government offices for essential services comes as the country enters the second phase of the easement of the lockdown in the capital in order to promote economic activity.