National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), on Tuesday, revealed that the government has spent a total of MVR 7.5 million to assist Maldivians stranded abroad due to travel restrictions implemented in response the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at a press conference, Communications Undersecretary of President's Office Mabrouq Abdul Azeez stated that expenditure by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on stranded Maldivians excluded funds spent by state-run Aasandha Company Ltd and National Social Protection Agency (NSPA).
However, no additional details were provided.
The two aforementioned companies are covering costs of food and accommodation for Maldivians that travelled to Sri Lanka and India for medical treatment. Both countries have implemented travel restrictions, leaving several people stranded.
NEOC disclosed that NSPA and Aasandha have collectively spent MVR 1.5 million to provide assistance to stranded Maldivians till date.
Maldives now has 21 confirmed and five active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 16 recoveries.
The World Health Organization has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected over two million people and claimed over 126,700 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 484,500 people have recovered.spend
Sign In