Police on Wednesday revealed that five food outlets in capital Male' City were fined MVR 5,000 for violating the ban on in-house dining and shisha-smoking.
Two cafe's were fined for providing shisha services and the other three outlets for providing in-house dining services.
In order to prevent an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the capital, Director General of Public Health Maimoona Aboobakuru ordered all food outlets in the greater Male' region to be closed from March 22 onwards for public service.
Outlets can only provide delivery and takeaway services until further notice.
Health Protection Agency (HPA) had previously declared that those who violate the orders of Director General of Public will be fined and the offenders' identities publicised.
Maldives recorded 13 cases of COVID-19, out of which five cases remain active. So far, only tourists and resort employees have confirmed infections in Maldives with no record of local transmissions within the country. The first Maldivian tested positive for the virus in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The World Health Organization has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected more than 446,000 and claimed over 19,700 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 112,000 have recovered.
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