Maldives govt. holds virtual cabinet meeting for the first time

A cabinet meeting has been held online for the first time in the Maldives.

The meeting was held online due to the spread of COVID-19 in the Maldives.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih presided over the cabinet meeting held today. The meeting saw discussions regarding the situation with COVID-19 in the Maldives and the measures in place to control the virus in the Maldives.

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid stated after the meeting that all the government institutions were working together to effectively overcome the virus.  The meeting was held via the Cisco Webex platform.

Many governmental services have been provided online during the lockdown order issued in the capital. The government offices in the country have been closed for more than a month now. The government is also holding daily press briefings to keep the citizens updated on the situation with the virus in the country.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, in a televised address last night, had announced that some of the restrictive measures in the country are to repealed over stages after the current lockdown order on the capital expired on May 28. The President had warned that the country was not completely out of the woods yet and stressed the importance of following the instructions of health officials in order to do so.

This is not the first time a cabinet meeting was held in rare circumstances. During President Mohamed Nasheed's administration, Maldives held a cabinet underwater for the first time, making the country the first to do so. The underwater cabinet meeting was held to obtain global attention to the rising sea levels and environmental impact the country is facing due to global warming.