The government on Sunday revealed that 15 healthcare workers from Manadhoo, Noonu Atoll, were placed under self-isolation by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
Speaking at the virtual press conference held at the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC), Communications Undersecretary at the President's Office Mabrouq Abdul Azeez noted that the 15 workers were identified as close contacts of an 83-year-old woman who sought treatment for non-COVID-19 related health complications.
She was later transferred to the capital city Male' upon further degradation of her condition.
HPA's Epidemiologist Dr Ibrahim Afzal said the elderly woman was asymptomatic during her visit and while samples were collected. He divulged that COVID-19 test results of the woman came back positive while she was temporarily housed at a guesthouse.
Mabrouq stated that the isolation measures were taken to ensure the safety of healthcare workers on the island and the Noonu Atoll Hospital. As a result, the operating hours of the hospital have been reduced.
Contact tracings on the island are ongoing.
Experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) have released considerations for mental and psychosocial support for healthcare workers, encouraging the general public to "honour carers and healthcare workers supporting people affected with COVID-19 in your community", stressing that individuals need to "acknowledge the role they play in saving lives and keeping your loved ones safe".
Maldives now records 527 confirmed and 508 active cases of COVID-19, 18 recoveries and one death.
WHO has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The new strain of novel coronavirus has infected over 3.5 million people and claimed over 248,300 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 1.1 million people have recovered.
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