Male’, Maldives – The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has revealed that even more people attending a wedding on December 20 at SHE building have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing up the total cases in the cluster to 78.
On December 24th, HPA confirmed the first Covid-19 case from the wedding cluster. While only one citizen tested positive for the virus that day, 12 people had tested positive on the coming day, 21 people on 26th December, 8 people on 27th December and additional 8 people on 28th December, with another 13 on December 29.
HPA said that among the positive cases, there are some high-risk patients. The ages of the infected people relating to the wedding cluster include 24 children under the age of 18, in addition to a 65 year old and a 77 year old. In addition to this, HPA also informed that two toddlers of the age 2 and 3 are also confirmed as positive for the virus.
Mass gatherings and ceremonies were allowed to be held in Male’ on the 19th, with strict guidelines. These guidelines state that attendees must wear masks and follow social distancing rules and that if kept indoors, doors of the venue should be kept open during opening and ending times, and that doors must be opened frequently to allow air circulation.
HPA also advises that under no circumstances must attendees shake hands, and that too many people should not be allowed in the venue at once. They also advise to keep events as short as possible, and that if photos are to be taken, masks are mandatory.
