COVID-19: 34 cases confirmed, total at 1547

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has just announced that confirmation of 34 COVID-19 cases in the Maldives.

Along with the newly confirmed cases, the Maldives now has 1547 cases of the virus.

According to a tweet by the HPA, the confirmed cases today are:

• 21 Bangladeshi nationals
• 12 Maldivians
• 1 Indian national

The populous capital Male’ City has been under lockdown since April 15, when the city had identified its first COVID-19 case. The government has now extended the lockdown for another 14 days, however, it has announced plans to ease the lockdown in phases which are now being implemented

Some easements include allowing permits for three people per household to step outside for two hours.  The elderly will be allowed to step outdoors between 5 am to 8 am.

Other easements include increasing banking days, 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,