Nasheed says Maldives could suffer more deaths if lockdown remained

Speaker of the Maldivian Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has said that if the lockdown order on the capital remained in place, the country could suffer more deaths.

Nasheed said so in a message to a Whatsapp group of the Parliament today. Nasheed predicted that the number of Maldivians passing away could increase and a deterioration of the normal life in the country.

He said that the Parliamentarians were the best positioned to show how things can be done with safety measures. 

“The Parliament session will be held with safety. No one will meet the other.” Said Nasheed.

Nasheed has previously voiced his disapproval towards the lockdown order. He had stated in a parliamentary session that the virus was spreading in the capital despite the lockdown order and that it seemed likely to him that the virus would infect everyone in the country.

He had lamented the fact that the country was placed in lockdown to stop the spread of the virus, which had “was spreading massively”.

The Parliament had announced that sessions were to be recommenced in actuality starting from tomorrow. Nasheed had stated in the Whatsapp group that he had even informed the Director-General of Public Health regarding the impracticality of having to wait until the 28th of this month to begin sessions.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had announced that some of the restrictive measures on the capital are to be eased on May 28th. 

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country currently at 1,395 with 144 recoveries and four deaths.

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. 

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had recently announced that the restrictions on the capital are to be relaxed in a bid to continue with life under a "New Normal". Industries are also set to be reopened with tourism expected to be kickstarted in June under a Safe Tourism Guideline. Airports, schools, and mosques as well as restaurants and cafes are also set to be reopened under phases.

Despite the relax in restrictions, authorities have warned the public that the country was not out of danger and are expecting case numbers around 30-50 per day. The President also warned that he would not hesitate to reimpose the restrictive measures if the situation in the country dwindled.