The Maldives on Tuesday recorded 43 new cases of COVID-19 and 78 new recoveries. The Indian Ocean archipelago also announced its fifth COVID-19 related death after a Bangladeshi national who passed away on Monday night tested positive for the virus.
According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the new cases include 9 Maldivians, 31 Bangladeshis and 3 Indian nationals. The new cases bring the total number of infections to 1,438.
The country also recorded 78 new recoveries on Tuesday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 232. Currently, 1,817 individuals are at quarantine facilities while 1,108 individuals are in isolation.
The government has announced that eases will be given to the lockdown imposed in Male' city over the next few days. While the country has been recording around 50 new infections every day for the past few days, HPA's epidemiologist Dr Ibrahim Afzal said the numbers are not high compared to the dense population in Male' city, and said he does not believe giving eases to restrictions under the current situation is an issue. He added that the World Health Organization (WHO)'s guidelines will be followed in easing restrictions, and stressed that the public must continue to comply with the instructions given by authorities in taking necessary precautions.
