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COVID-19 expenditure reaches MVR 3 billion: Finance Ministry

03 March 2021, MVT 12:16
The Ministry of Finance in the capital city of Male'. PHOTO: MIHAARU
03 March 2021, MVT 12:16

Statistics revealed by the Ministry of Finance showed that expenditure for the national COVID-19 response has exceeded MVR 3 billion as of January 27, 2021.

As per the figures publicised by the ministry, MVR 1.5 billion was spent on the health and social sectors related to the pandemic, including MVR 867.9 million on the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The remaining MVR 1.5 billion was spent on the economic response. The largest portion of these funds, adding up to MVR 1.15 billon was allocated for the COVID-19 recovery loan scheme, while MVR 273.9 million was disbursed as income support allowance, and MVR 117.7 million was spent on discounts for utility bills.

After a long period of recording low numbers towards the end of 2020, Maldives is now experiencing its third wave of pandemic, with the introduction of the United Kingdom’s highly contagious virus variant.

Currently, the island nation records a total of 20,144 virus cases of which 2,605 are active cases, in addition to 17,470 recoveries and 62 deaths.

On March 12, 2020, WHO classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. To date, the new strain of novel coronavirus has infected over 114.7 million people and claimed over 2.5 million lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 90 million people have recovered.

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