COVID-19: Fuvahmulah under monitoring after 2 random samples test positive

Two random samples taken in Fuvahmulah City have come back positive for COVID-19, prompting authorities to impose travel restrictions in the city.

Health authorities have been conducting random sampling in Fuvahmulah since last Sunday to detect a possible community spread in the city.

Fuvahmulah City Deputy Mayor Mohamed Lirar told Sun on Tuesday that health authorities have collected 150 random samples, two of which have come back positive for COVID-19.

Results on some of the samples remain pending.

“Fuvahmulah has been placed under monitoring after two random samples tested positive. The taskforce is discussing additional measures to take,” said Lirar.

Lirar said that he is unable to confirm whether the two people who tested positive recently travelled to any other island, but that a lot of people from Fuvahmulah have travelled to neighboring Addu City – which is also experiencing an outbreak – in recent days.

“A lot of Fuvahmulah residents are stranded in Addu because of the ban on travel in and out of the city. There are some 60 people stranded there. This means that a lot of people travelled there up until Saturday,” he said.

Fuvahmulah Hospital states they are conducting contact tracing in response to the positive cases identified in the city, and are collaborating with other state institutions to implement additional preventive measures.

CURFEW IN ADDU

Addu City was placed under monitoring on Saturday after two people who presented to the flu clinic in Hithadhoo district tested positive. COVID-19 cases in Addu have since risen to over 40. The city is now under a curfew between 8:00 pm to 4:30 am. Authorities have also implemented a ban on travel between districts of the city, a ban on parties, functions and other events, a ban on dine-in services at tea shops, cafes and restaurants, and a ban on mass prayers in mosques.

CASES IN THINADHOO RISE TO 4

G. Dh. Thinadhoo has also been under monitoring since Sunday, after a person who travelled from Addu tested positive for COVID-19. A second person tested positive from random sampling conducted in the island on Monday, and two more cases were confirmed from Thinadhoo on Tuesday – direct contacts of the first case.

With the two new cases, confirmed cases in Thinadhoo now stands at 4.