President schedules Maduvvari visit after monitoring mechanisms lifted

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is scheduled to visit R. Maduvvari as part of his current tour of R. Atoll and Sh. Atoll. 

Maduvvari, which had been under monitoring since September 1 in response to a COVID-19 outbreak, had not originally been on the list of destinations during his current tour.  

The decision to change the schedule to accommodate a visit to Maduvvari comes after health authorities lifted monitoring mechanisms in the island last Wednesday. 

Some politicians critical of the President allege the restrictions were deliberately lifted to allow him to visit the island. 

However, Maduvvari Council’s President Mohamed Sodhiq told Sun on Thursday morning that the decision was made by Health Protection Agency (HPA) after conducting necessary investigations in accordance with standard protocol. 

Sodhiq said that 91 percent of the eligible population in Maduvvari have been fully vaccinated. 

He also said that the active cases currently in Maduvvari are all in home quarantine, and that 144 random samples taken last Wednesday to detect a possible community spread came back negative. 

Maduvvari MP Adam Shareef Umar, deputy leader of opposition PNC, has expressed concern over the decision to reopen Maduvvari. 

Shareef said the decision exposes Maduvvari to additional COVID-19 cases. 

“The sudden decision to lift Maduvvari from monitoring after the island was placed under monitoring in response to seven Covid cases, despite the two additional cases today and a person who travelled to Male’ testing positive, could lead to further spread of this disease. I’m concerned,” said Shareef, in a tweet on Wednesday night. 

He asked HPA for the “secret” behind its decision. 

Maduvvari was placed under monitoring on September 1 following confirmation of seven COVID-19 cases in the island. It included two people who got tested at the flu clinic and five contacts.