National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) revealed on Monday that authorities are reviewing the quarantine period for all passengers from a flight from Philippines after one student on the plane tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.
A total of 47 Maldivian students pursuing higher education at Manila, Philippines, arrived on March 27 from the Qatar Airways flight chartered by the Maldivian government.
One of those students isolated at the facility in Eriyadu Island Resort, Kaafu Atoll, tested positive for the virus upon completion of the 14-day quarantine period. The positive case has now been relocated to the quarantine facility at Velidhu Island Resort, Alif Alif Atoll.
An official at NEOC stated that authorities have not yet made a decision on whether the quarantine period of the students from Philippines will be extended or not.
"Everyone except one [of the students] tested negative [for COVID-19]. However, since one sample tested positive, we will decide a course of action after the review. We have not decided to add another 14 days to their quarantine period", they said.
The Technical Advisory Group (TAG), consisting of doctors and health experts, provide discussion and counsel on releasing people from quarantine. Authorities will make a decision on those who arrived from Phillipines based on TAG's advice as well.
Doctor Moosa Murad from Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) stated during NEOC's briefing that the student who tested positive showed no symptoms of COVID-19 prior to testing.
Maldives currently has 20 confirmed and six active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 14 recoveries.
The World Health Organization has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected over 1.85 million people and claimed over 114,270 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 427,801 people have recovered.
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