COVID-19: 16 new cases, 15 recoveries

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has announced 15 additional cases of COVID-19, increasing confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Maldives to 2,203.

According to HPA, the 16 new cases are:

• 08 locals
• 07 Bangladeshi nationals
• 01 Indian nationals 

Meanwhile, 15 more COVID-19 patients were confirmed to have made full recoveries over the last 24-hours, increasing total recoveries to 1.803 people.

The Maldives now has 387 active cases.

There are 305 people in isolation facilities, and 147 people in quarantine facilities. Authorities have so far collected 41,554 samples, including repeated samples for COVID-19 testing.

Maldives identified its first COVID-19 case on March 7. Male’ City later identified its first COVID-19 case on April 15, prompting a city-wide lockdown and a nationwide ban on nonessential travel.

The populous capital quickly became the epicenter of the outbreak in the Maldives, contributing to over 90 percent of total cases.

34 percent of COVID-19 cases in the country are Maldivians, while the remaining 66 percent are foreign nationals. 

The country has now relaxed its lockdown following a drop in daily infections by the end of May.

With the beginning of phase two of the relaxation of lockdown on the capital last week, residents of Male’ City and its suburbs Hulhumale’ and Vilimale’ are now permitted outside from 05:00 am to 22:00 pm. Measures in all other islands, except for the capital have also been lifted.

The country has, however, seen a recent rise in daily infections. It confirmed 37 cases yesterday. marking the biggest spike in daily cases over the past three days.  A total of 13 new cases were confirmed on Friday, with 17 new cases on Thursday, and 26 cases on Wednesday.