Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Sunday, announced its decision to facilitate the sending of care packages to Maldivians stranded in Bangkok, Thailand, from their families in Maldives.
According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrangements are made with the national airline 'Maldivian' to carry care packages to Maldivians stranded in Bangkok, Thailand, on its cargo flight scheduled for Thursday.
As cargo planes have limited space, the service will be prioritized on a first-come-first-served basis, the ministry said.
Those that wish to send a care package can apply to the cargo service through an online application form on the ministry’s website: https://www.foreign.gov.mv/index.php/en/
Thereafter, packages must be handed over a designated counter at Velana International Airport near the departure gates between 0900 hrs to 1500 hrs on Wednesday, April 15.
As per foreign ministry’s guidelines, families are permitted to send packages up to a maximum allowance of 15 kilogrammes.
Items which are permitted to be sent in the care packages include:
- Tuna cans
- Noodles
- Fish paste 'Rihaakuru’ (in original packing with the label attached)
- Packaged food items including smoked tuna, dried tuna, tuna flakes, chili paste, (in original packing with the label attached)
List of prohibited items include cigarettes, short eats, cake, fruits and vegetables, raw fish and money.
The government has previously facilitated care package deliveries for Maldivians stranded in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and India.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries have imposed strict travel restrictions, leaving hundreds of Maldivians stranded in foreign countries.
The national airline, Maldivian has already facilitated the repatriation of 100 Maldivians stranded in neighbouring Colombo, Sri Lanka as well as 188 from Cochin, India on April 6 and April 7 respectively, and further 197 Maldivians stranded in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on April 8.
Amid worldwide travel restrictions, the Maldivian government is working to maintain its pledge to repatriate Maldivians abroad wishing to return home.
However, several hundred Maldivian students remain stranded in foreign countries, including those in Bangladesh and Nepal under lockdowns imposed by their respective governments, while students in Belarus have expressed concerns regarding their safety due to Belarus government's inadequate response to COVID-19.
Five Maldivians remain positive for COVID-19 in the country, while another Maldivian residing abroad in the UK has tested positive. No local to local transmissions have been recorded till date.
Maldives now has 20 confirmed and seven active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 13 recoveries.
The World Health Organization has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected over 1.78 million people and claimed over 108,800 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 404,400 people have recovered.
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