HPA imposes a lockdown on Kaashidhoo

Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Wednesday, quarantined K. Kaashidhoo, restricting travel in and out of the island.

HPA said the island was quarantined “to look into matters pertaining to public health which require further attention in connection to COVID-19”.

It has announced a ban on travel of persons in and out of Kaashidhoo without HPA’s express permission.

While HPA declined to disclose the specific reason for its decision, Sun has been informed it made the decision because the spouse of the person who tested positive for the virus from Male’ this Wednesday had travelled to Kaashidhoo.

The new patient, a woman with no recent travel history overseas, had presented to the flu clinic in Male’ on Tuesday, and HPA received test results confirming the case this Wednesday.

The patient has been moved to an isolation facility, while the neighborhood where she resides in has been temporarily locked down as the rapid response team continues to operate in the area to conduct contact tracing.

The case marks the first virus case in Male’, and the sixth Maldivian national to test positive for the virus. The previous cases had been four people who traveled back from the UK, and one who had travelled back from the Philippines, who had been identified during mandatory quarantine.