COVID-19: 32 cases confirmed, total at 1513

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has confirmed that 32 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed so far today. 

Before the tweet issued just now, the total tally of cases in the country stood at 1481. The cases have now increased to 1513, with the newly confirmed cases.

The populous Maldivian capital Male’ City has been under lockdown since April 15, when the city had identified its first COVID-19 case. The lockdown is set to expire this Thursday, and the Maldivian government has announced plans to ease the lockdown on the capital in phases.

Some easements include allowing permits for three people per household to step outside for two hours. Children and the elderly will be allowed to step outside during fixed hours. The elderly can begin stepping outside between 5 am to 8 am as early as Friday, but children will not be allowed out until the second week of the first phase, which will begin on June 10.

Other easements include increasing banking says, allowing bakeries, supermarkets, and more convenience stores to open.

HPA has stated that 50 cases per day are low enough to ease the lockdown.

Health Minister Abdulla Ameen said on Wednesday that the government may have to strengthen its measures if cases increase exponentially in the first phase.

The easement is designed to promote economic activity and allow people to enjoy a measure of normalcy. Ameen warned the decision to ease the lockdown did not mean the end of the pandemic, and that the threat of the pandemic remained prevalent.

A total of 242 patients have recovered from the virus in the Maldives while five have passed away,