Maldives confirmed 704 new cases of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic over the past 24 hours.

According to the latest statistics publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), healthcare workers tested a total of 5,181 samples for Covid-19 between 6pm Tuesday and 6pm Wednesday.

The new infections include 407 reported in the Greater Malé Region, 271 from residential islands and 18 from operational resorts. Further, eight infections were also confirmed from islands under development.

It has been a week since public health authorities have been reporting less than 1,000 new infections across the congested capital region, also the Covid-19 epicenter of Maldives.

With this development Maldives active Covid-19 cases have dropped to 23,909 from 24,035 between 6pm Tuesday and 6pm Wednesday.

Over the past 24 hours, 828 recoveries were reported, pushing the number of recoveries observed nationwide to 41,779.

Maldives Covid-19 case tally currently sits at 65,868.

Statistics go on to reveal that the number of hospital admissions is currently at 197, which means that 11 Covid-19 patients were moved from hospitals over the past 24 hours.

The Covid-19 caseload began spiking into the beginning of May, at a time Maldives was able to control a spike in cases into the beginning of the new year, with strengthened measures such as a curfew period and travel restrictions. However, authorities lifted the measures in place in time for the fasting month of Ramadan 1442 as well as the Local Council and Women’s Development Committee elections held in mid-April, which led to the caseload increasing like never observed before.

Measures were strengthened across the Maldives earlier in May with authorities having imposed a curfew in the capital region from 4pm to 4am. Effective May 26, the curfew hours have been extended from 4pm to 8am and authorities have also imposed movement restrictions for capital region residents outside the curfew hours. Other measures include disallowing dine-in and takeaway services, allowing delivery services for shops, restaurants and cafés with permits from 6am to 12am. The Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) revealed that special permits are required to go out from 8am to 4pm.

HPA revealed that two household permits are granted to each residence, of which one permit allows the resident to go out between 8am and 12pm, the other permit holder may go out between 12pm and 4pm. During this period travel between Malé and Hulhumalé is banned. Malé residents are allowed to travel to Villimalé. Since the measures were implemented, cases have been gradually declining.