The government on Monday announced that all Maldivian schools will be closed for an additional week over the COVID-19 outbreak.
Mohamed Mabrook Azeez, the government's spokesperson for COVID-19, made the announcement at a news conference held at Dharubaaruge convention center.
The government had earlier instructed all schools to close until March 22. However, as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19, schools will be closed for an extra week, to reopen on March 29.
Maldives announced a state of public health emergency last Thursday, under which the government has implemented several measures. This includes travel restrictions to and from resorts and banning guesthouses and hotels in the Greater Male' region from accepting more tourist bookings for a period of 14 days.
Maldives also banned entry from Spain and parts of Germany and France, in addition to China, Italy, Iran, Bangladesh and four regions of South Korea.
Furthermore, the government closed down all universities, colleges and training facilities for a period of two weeks.
Currently, there are 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maldives, including nine Italians, a Turk, a German, a South African and an English national.
No locals have tested positive for the virus to date.
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