The state on Sunday waived import duty on medical items that are considered supplementary equipment, amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic.
To clarify, the alteration slashes the import duty on protective masks, face shields, protective gloves, hand wash and disinfectant.
Per the Import-Export Act, under special circumstances, the President holds the power to waive duties on certain items.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih also recently slashed the import duty on surgical masks and hand sanitiser in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within the community.
Maldives declared a public health emergency after the country recorded eight positive cases of COVID-19. The government has taken various preventive measures to contain the virus, such as implementing travel bans and placing islands with suspected cases on lockdown.
Maldives currently has 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 10 active cases. The country recorded its first two recoveries on Friday, and the third this Saturday. No Maldivians have tested positive for the virus as of yet. So far, only tourists and resort employees have confirmed infections with no local transmissions.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected more than 308,400 and claimed over 13,000 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 95,800 have recovered.
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