Minister of Health, Ahmed Naseem has extended the duration of the State of Public Health Emergency declared in the Maldives. This is the 18th extension of the State of Public Health Emergency since it was first declared on March 12, 2020.
The emergency state was first invoked by former Health Minister Abdulla Ameen on March 12 last year for a period of 30 days by the discretionary powers vested in the minister by Section 33 of the 7/2012 Public Health Act. The measure was taken after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the current COVID-19 outbreak as a global 'pandemic'.
Since then, the state of public health emergency has been extended several times. The Health Ministry on Tuesday announced that the public health emergency state will be maintained until October 1 as COVID-19 still remains a threat to the Maldives. Any special measures that the situation calls for will be taken accordingly by the Director General of Public Health.
Maldives has recorded 81,112 confirmed cases of COVID-19 thus far, and 226 COVID-19 deaths. The country's COVID-19 situation has improved significantly over the past weeks.
Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem
