The government has revealed that five additional labour quarters in the capital Male' area are currently on monitoring status due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC)'s daily press briefing on Sunday night, spokesperson of the centre, Mohamed Mabrook Azeez said 33 labour quarters are currently being monitored with the assistance of Maldives Police Service. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) are collecting samples from the occupants of the quarters to determine if COVID-19 exists within the dormitories, said Mabrook.
"In this regard, samples have been collected from 30 such locations. We are yet to collect samples from 3 locations, and the work is now underway," he added.
Several clusters of expatriate workers infected with COVID-19 have been identified through active surveillance of vulnerable locations. The government has initiated efforts to relocate expatriates living in cramped and congested accomodation to better living conditions. Over 1500 blue collar workers have been relocated to accommodation blocks established in Hulhumale' and Gulhifalhu.
