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HPA urges offices in Male' to cancel meetings

Mariyam Malsa
14 July 2020, MVT 12:01
Participants at a seminar recently held by the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services.
Mariyam Malsa
14 July 2020, MVT 12:01

The Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Monday, urged offices in the capital city of Male' against holding unnecessary physical meetings, due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases recorded daily.

HPA requested that professional meetings be held online unless absolutely necessary and reiterated its 30-person limit on public gatherings.

The number of COVID-19 cases increased after the state considerably eased lockdown measures imposed on the Greater Male' Region.

HPA attributed the increase to the rising number of public gatherings such as parties and meetings being held.

The agency added that, on average, more than 70 contacts were now identified for each individual that tested positive for COVID-19.

HPA renewed its call for the public to follow safety regulations intended to curb the spread of COVID-19 as well as guidelines for work environments prepared by relevant institutions.

Following two months of a city-wide lockdown, the government initiated efforts to steer the country towards a 'new normal' after recoveries consistently began overtaking new cases.

As part of the phased easing of restrictions in the capital region, government offices and businesses including shops, cafe's and restaurants were permitted to restart services on July 1. As per current plans, Maldives will reopen its borders for tourists on July 15.

As one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Maldives' capital Malé recorded a significant surge of virus cases in the first weeks following the first confirmed local transmission on April 15.

Maldives presently has a total of 2,762 confirmed and 444 active cases of COVID-19. Thus far, the country records 2,290 recoveries and 13 deaths.

On March 12, WHO classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. To date, the new strain of novel coronavirus has infected over 13.2 million people and claimed over 575,500 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 7.6 million people have recovered.

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