The government has confirmed that the individual reported to have tested positive for COVID-19 in UAE is not a Maldivian national.
Earlier this week, UAE news agencies had cited the UAE government and reported that a Maldivian national had tested positive for COVID-19 in UAE. No official channels had confirmed the reports.
However, the government spokesperson for COVID-19 related matters, Mabrook Azeez on Saturday said the details on the case shared by UAE authorities show the name of the individual to be an eatern european name. Therefore, it is believed that the person had been misidentified as a Maldivian, and is likely from a country such as Moldova, which sounds similar to Maldives, said Mabrook.
Earlier on Saturday, a Maldivian doctor in the United Kingdom revealed via Facebook that his spouse, also a Maldivian, had tested positive for the virus. The doctor himself has developed symptoms of COVID-19, he wrote. Authorities in the Maldives are working to confirm the reports.
While 16 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Maldives, all but one are foreigners. The only local case is of a 38-year old man who returned to Maldives from the UK.
