Malé, Maldives— On Tuesday, the President of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih states that as the atolls of Maldives are geographically scattered and due to the ‘one island, one resort’ concept practiced, Maldives remains one of the safest tourist destinations amid the ongoing pandemic.
The president made a remark via a video message in the launch of “‘Covid Huttuvaanee Aharen’ campaign,” a champaign to stop Covid-19- which was initiated by the local media on Tuesday night.
President Solih states in his video message that an accurate picture of the health risk in Maldives, is needed to present to the international community.
“Given how the population of Maldives is spread across islands, given the concept based on which tourism was developed, Maldives certainly remains one of the most peaceful and safest destinations for vacationers,” he said.
He assures that there isn’t any community spread of COVID-19 outside of Male’ so far, and that the isolated cases identified in other islands are being efficiently monitored and controlled by the healthcare workers. He also noted that the resorts of Maldives are located outside of residential islands.
“This message remains to be properly delivered to the international community. This information needs to be clear for tourists who wish to visit Maldives,” he said.
Collective effort is needed to control the outbreak, in order to minimize the the risk of COVID-19 in Maldives.
“People need to do their civic duty. And especially, people must refrain from going outside their homes unless necessary, and when it becomes necessary, must wear a mask. People must also wash their hands frequently and pay special importance to practicing good hygiene,” he said.
President Solih furthermore warned that the failures to bring down the numbers could lead to the overwhelming of the health system. He stated that although the hospitals have the required equipments to treat infected patients, an increase in the number of infected patients compared to the limited amount of doctors and nurses in Maldives can increase the risk of the loss of numerous lives.
While noting that the country recorded 29 COVID-19 related fatalities so far, the president send condolences by saying that their deaths are a great loss, not just to their respective families and loved ones, but to the entire nation as well.
Maldives has up to date confirmed a total of 8,003 cases, increased by over 4,000 in just a month. While the country has 2,703 remaining active cases, 5,265 patients have completely recovered from the virus in Maldives.
