VP: President’s commitment key to overcoming COVID

Vice President Faisal Naseem states President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s commitment to combatting COVID-19 had been key to Maldives overcoming the pandemic.

Speaking at the official ceremony to mark the World Health Day on Friday evening, the Vice President said the last two-three years had been a hard time, and that there wasn’t a single Maldivian who hadn’t struggled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There isn’t a single person in Maldives who hasn’t suffered hardships. We had a hard two years,” he said.

The Vice President said that one of the key factors that contributed to Maldives managing to overcome the pandemic was the President’s commitment to combatting it.

“The work he did night and day to fulfill the needs of the Maldivian people, and the work he did in collaboration with health experts, all healthcare workers, organizations, NGOs, private parties, private hospitals, and the people,” he said.

The Vice President said that President Solih also deserved gratitude for ensuring Maldives continued to have access to essential commodities such as medicine, food and fuel, at a time when ports around the world were closed.

He also said that while Maldives, too, had been forced to close its borders, it had managed to reopen its borders so soon due to the efforts the President oversaw.

The Vice President noted that the outcome of reopening the borders so soon had proved positive.

“We reopened our borders very soon. We reopened tourism, the main pillar of our foreign currency, cash flow, and our economy,” he said.

Noting that several countries are currently dealing with dire economic consequences, the Vice President said Maldives managed to avoid such a situation due to hard work.