President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has appointed special representatives to each atoll to oversee the COVID-19 situation in the respective atolls.
The Health Ministry said a state minster or deputy minister from each ministry has been appointed by the president to each atoll for the task. The representatives will be working in liaison with the atoll and island councils as well as COVID-19 taskforces. The representatives will be sharing timely information with the Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) and other relevant entities on the challenges faced in the atolls in controlling the COVID-19 situation.
72 islands are currently under the Health Protection Agency (HPA)'s monitoring status after positive cases of COVID-19 were identified on the islands. A curfew from 9:00 pm to 04:00 pm has been implemented in all islands under HPA monitoring while a 12 hour curfew w is in place in islands where the situation is worse.
The Maldives is currently experiencing an alarming surge in infections. The country's tally has crossed 60,000 and the number of deaths is at 157. The month of May has been particularly devastating, with more COVID-19 deaths recorded in May 2021 than the combined number of all COVID-19 deaths in 2020.
