Health Protection Agency (HPA) announced early Thursday that 14 individuals that had developed flu-like symptoms were being transferred to Hulhule' Isolation Facility (HIF).
According to the agency, these 14 individuals were in 'contact' with case MAV021, the first confirmed case of community spread in Maldives, detected in densely populated capital Male' on Wednesday morning.
Since then, HPA has confirmed two additional positive cases in the city, both tracing back to the aforementioned case. Authorities confirmed that the second case is a child, while the third case is a "direct contact" of patient MAV021.
Fourteen individuals with #COVID19 like symptoms are being transferred to Hulhule Isolation Facility (HIF) for isolation.
— Health Protection Agency (@HPA_MV) April 15, 2020
The 14 individuals are contacts of the case: MAV021.
HPA announced on Wednesday afternoon that 54 individuals and four residences in Malé were identified during contact tracing efforts after the first positive case. All persons involved have been placed under isolation.
With Maldives recording its first local transmission of COVID-19, HPA issued a Red alert for Male' City and placed the greater Male' region under lockdown for 24 hours, beginning 1530 hrs on Wednesday afternoon. The lockdown prohibits all civilians sans those with special permits to leave their residences, as well as a halting all land and sea transportation in or out of the area.
In addition to the greater Malé region lockdown, HPA also revealed that Kaashidhoo in Kaafu Atoll was placed under monitoring, after a secondary contact of the first COVID-19 patient in Male' travelled to the local island.
Authorities held a series of press conferences throughout the day, including an address by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. All reiterated the importance of remaining indoors and exercising measures such as social distancing multiple times, with requests for the elderly, pregnant women and children to exercise particular caution.
Maldives now has 23 confirmed and seven 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 134,508 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 509,880 people have recovered.
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