Another from Kuredu tests positive, increasing total COVID-19 cases to 10

Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Saturday, announced one more foreign national from the resort island of Kuredu had tested positive for COVID-19, increasing the total confirmed cases of the virus in Maldives to ten.

The person who became the latest to test positive for the virus is one of ten people who had been identified through contact tracing in Kuredu. The other nine had tested negative.

The person who has tested positive is being transferred to the isolation facility in Farukolhufushi, said HPA.

Kuredu is the resort island from which Maldives identified its first virus cases – people who had contact with an Italian tourist who had vacationed at the resort in February, and informed the resort management he had tested positive for the virus upon return to Italy.

Maldives confirmed its first two virus cases shortly after, on March 7.

While HPA has lifted the lockdown on Kuredu, areas of the resort remain cordoned off to hold people identified through contact tracing who must remain under isolation. And health officials remain at the resort to monitor the situation.

The total number of people who have tested positive for the virus from Kuredu now stands at five, making for half of the total confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maldives. Two more cases are from Sandies Bathala, two more from Kuramathi, and one from Anantara Dhigu Rah.

All 10 people are foreign nationals.