The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has confirmed that 73 people tested positive for COVID-19 in a single day this Sunday.
The number includes Maldivian nationals, Bangladeshis, a Pakistani and Indian nationals. The total number of positive cases detected in the Maldives has now reached 214, with 17 recoveries recorded thus far.
Since the detection of the first case of local transmission of COVID-19 on April 15, the numbers have been rising rapidly. While a large number of Bangladeshi expatriates are testing positive, a significant number of locals have also been infected with the virus. Male' city was placed on a 14-day lockdown following the detection of the case in the capital, and the health minister has hinted that the lockdown may be further extended. Positive cases have since been detected in two residential islands: Ha. Uligam and Sh. Narudhoo. Authorities fear the virus may have been carried to 13 residential islands via a boat, whose captain tested positive for the virus.
