The Maldives recorded 27 new positive cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the national tally to 982. The country also recorded six new recoveries over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 46.
The first case of local transmission was detected in capital Male' on April 15 and a lockdown was imposed on the city. The lockdown has now been extended until the end of May, and congregational prayers at mosques are also restricted for the next two weeks.
Four COVID-19 related deaths have been recorded in the Maldives thus far, with the most recent fatality occuring on Wednesday.
Authorities have warned that the number of positive cases could surge within the next 14 days, and warned of the possibility of reaching the peak of infections during this period. The government is bracing for the wave, and is trying to increase testing capacity.
A sea-ambulance transporting patien ts
