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COVID-19: HPA shortens curfew hours for Male' City

Mariyam Malsa
08 November 2020, MVT 11:22
HPA shortened curfew hours within the Greater Male' Region to 0000 till 0400. PHOTO: NISHAN ALI/ MIHAARU
Mariyam Malsa
08 November 2020, MVT 11:22

The Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Saturday, shortened curfew hours within the Greater Male' Region to 0000 to 0400.

HPA's announcement also set the limit for public gatherings in the capital to a maximum of 15 people.

The following individuals are exempt from the aforementioned measures:

- Members of Maldives Police Service and Maldives National Defence Force as well their vehicles

- Health professionals and their vehicles

- Individuals with permits from the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) and their vehicles

- Vehicles operated by HEOC

- Individuals seeking emergency medical assistance

- Uniformed employees carrying identification cards issued by their place of work

In terms of travel guidelines, all residents of Male', Hulhumale' and Vilimale' traveling to other inhabited islands must observe the standard 14 days of quarantine. HPA also reiterated its call for all individuals travelling by sea or air to adhere to safety guidelines and wear facemasks at all times.

Furthermore, HPA stated that parks, libraries and public spaces in the capital could be reopened, provided that safety guidelines were followed.

With the exception of tournaments, contact and outdoor sports will also be permitted. Such events can invite a maximum of 15 spectators.

High risk employees previously instructed to work from home can recommence work at their place of employment provided that all mandatory safety guidelines are followed.

Maldives currently records a total of 11,962 virus cases of which 850 are active cases, in addition to 11,066 recoveries and 39 deaths.

During August, authorities tightened the safety measures implemented in the Greater Male' region, following an alarming upsurge of COVID-19 cases after the state initiated efforts to steer the country towards a 'new normal' with the phased easing of lockdown restrictions.

After a long period of recording over 100 daily cases, the numbers fell to two-digits during the most part of September. Throughout October the numbers slipped further down below 50, with a few spikes on rare occasions.

Within this same period, the number of recoveries saw a significant increase, bringing the number of recovered cases to over 92 percent.

Despite the sustained decrease in virus cases, HPA has renewed calls for citizens to adhere to protective measures to contain the spread of the virus, cautioning against a public sentiment that the outbreak has been “controlled”.

On March 12, WHO classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. To date, the new strain of novel coronavirus has infected over 50 million people and claimed over 1.2 million lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 35.5 million people have recovered.

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