Unvaccinated civil servants required to take Covid-19 tests regularly

The Civil Service Commission has declared that civil servants that are unable to administer a Covid-19 vaccine for various reasons, are required to undergo Covid-19 testing fortnightly.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) informed the Civil Service Commission to establish guidelines for unvaccinated employees, with all civil servants that are eligible for the vaccine asked to complete at least the first dose before September 1.

In a circular issued on Thursday, the commission said that all unvaccinated employees will be required to test for Covid-19 every 14 days as ordered by the Director General of Public Health, adding they will not be allowed inside office premises otherwise.

The commission added that the practice is being followed currently as well.

In the speech given by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on the occasion of Maldives Independence Day on July 26, he stated that the government aims to have 90 percent of those eligible vaccinated before the end of August.

Noting that Maldives is among the few countries that have been able to secure enough vaccines to immunize the entire eligible population, the president stressed that "this is a privilege not a lot of countries have" and urged all to go and get vaccinated soon.

While the government plans to end the Covid-19 vaccination drive launched in February, work is now underway to vaccinate 12-17 year old children as HPA have the approval to administer Pfizer vaccine doses to the age group last week.

Given that Maldives has received enough doses to complete two doses for the entire population, as revealed by the president, authorities have decided to establish stricter rules in providing services to unvaccinated persons.