Café/restaurants allowed to remain open for dine-in services until 22:30

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has cancelled its previous order to ban dine-in services in cafes, restaurants and tea shops in the greater Male’ region after 08:00 pm.

HPA announced in a new order signed by Director General of Public Health Maimoona Aboobakr this Sunday that cafes, restaurants, tea shops and other establishments that serve food in Male’, Hulhumale’, Vilimale, Thilafushi and Gulhifalhu may remain open for dine-in services until 10:30 pm.

HPA’s new order comes less than 24 hours after the authority made the decision to extend the previous order for a 08:00 pm ban on dine-in services by another four days.

HPA announced on Sunday that the order has now been cancelled.

Authorities tightened measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Maldives, especially in the populous Male’ region, following the emergence of the third wave of COVID-19.

Some of the measures include a curfew from 11:00 pm to 04:30 am and a ban on vehicular traffic from 06:00 pm to 06:00 am in the Male’ region.

Meanwhile, parties and other events have been banned, public parks have been closed, schools have been closed for nursery and preschool students, and face-to-face classes have been suspended in colleges and universities.

Maldives has 22,373 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 81 new cases on Saturday. 19,897 have since recovered, while 66 have died from complications.

The country currently has 2,404 active cases. 107 of the patients are hospitalized.