Maldives Police Service (MPS) on Wednesday commenced an operation to monitor six congested living quarters inhabited by expatriate workers, a measure to control the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
According to an MPS media official, a total of six accommodation blocks were placed under police surveillance, an effort to control the movement in and out of these living quarters during the lockdown. Highlighting that many expatriates live in congested spaces, police described their operation as a precautionary measure over fears of a COVID-19 outbreak within the expatriate worker community.
The expatriate population in Maldives is estimated to be more than 144,600, with the majority made up of Bangladeshi nationals. As many expatriates live in small, congested spaces, particularly in capital Male' City, officials have expressed concern that a local COVID-19 outbreak would put them at most risk of contracting and spreading the infection, and that it would be extremely difficult to control.
Over such alarm, Male' City Council commenced an assessment of the residences and living conditions of expatriates in the capital city in March, to identify the number of foreign nationals living in or using a certain residence and to ensure that efficient protective measures are implemented should an expatriate test positive for the virus.
In April, the government revealed a decongestion plan to relocate approximately 1500 expatriate workers living in cramped conditions, designating Amin Hiya located in the suburb of Hulhumalé, for expatriate housing amidst the outbreak.
Maldives recorded its first cases involving an expatriate worker on Sunday. Thirteen Bangladeshi workers employed at Lily Store, linked to an existing cluster involving a confirmed patient in the capital, MAV027, along with two Indian nationals tested positive for COVID-19.
Presently, Maldives records 94 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which 40 are expatriates. There are a total of 76 active cases and two probable patients, with 16 individuals having made a recovery.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected over 2.6 million people and claimed over 180,000 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 720,000 people have recovered.
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