Violent altercation by migrants in facility was due to food arrangements

Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has stated that a violent altercation in a facility housing migrants in Hulhumale’ last night was due to a delay in food arrangements.

The government-sponsored facility in the Ameeny Hiyaa in Hulhumale’ houses migrants due to the spread of COVID-19 in the capital. The disease has spread rapidly among the migrant population in the capital who live in squalor.

Those in quarantine at the facility had reportedly thrown chairs at Police officers on duty maintaining the security of the facility. 

HDC stated that the matter of food arrangements was now resolved. It was resolved after discussions between the authorities and the migrants. 

No one was arrested or hurt due to the altercation. 

A positive case of COVID-19 had been identified in the facility previously. The facility was closed up after the case which was identified in late April. Migrants in the facility were allowed to go outdoors before the case was identified, under special permits.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country currently at 1,395.

The country recorded a community case of the virus in Male' City on April 15. It was identified after the first case of the virus confirmed in a resort in the country on March 7. 

Authorities imposed a lockdown order on Male' City after the community case. A travel ban was also introduced across the whole nation as a measure to control the virus. 

The virus spread quickly among the migrant worker population of the country which dominates the statistics in terms of confirmed cases. More than 700 Bangladeshi nationals have tested positive for the virus alone, while 142 Indian nationals have also tested positive. The number of Maldivians that tested positive for the virus currently stands at 498.