Maldives active coronavirus tally has dropped below 2,000 with the 111 new cases and 241 recoveries reported on Friday.

By sundown on Friday, Health Protection Agency (HPA) confirmed 111 Covid-19 infections, of which 79 were detected in outlying atolls, whereas 24 were from the populous capital Malé City, also deemed the coronavirus epicenter of the country and the remaining eight were from operational resorts.

This was confirmed through 5,297 samples tested for the infection between 6pm Thursday and 6pm Friday, according to the latest statistics.

This has pushed Maldives Covid-19 total case count to 78,926.

The public health authority also reported 241 recoveries within the reporting period, which means that a total of 76,732 recoveries have been observed nationwide so far.

With three Covid-19 patients released from hospitals by sundown on Friday, the number of hospital admissions have dropped to 19.

The country's death toll from Covid-19 stands at 222 with one fatality reported last week.

The Covid-19 caseload began spiking in the beginning of May once again, not long after Maldives was able to control a spike in cases into the beginning of the year. The fourth wave was confirmed after 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.

This prompted authorities to strengthen safety measures and restrictions across the nation. However in early July a number of these measures were eased in time for Eid-Al-Adha and Independence Day holidays. The Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) has since announced a number of additional eases including allowing parties, gatherings and event with no restrictions on participants, so long as safety measures are adhered to. Further, offices have also resumed normal operations, with employees allowed to return to the workplace for their duties. Other eases include allowing restaurants and other food outlets to resume normal services.

Daily numbers in the capital region have been significantly declining since June. In July authorities allowed individuals who have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus to travel domestically without the need to quarantine, with a negative PCR test result. Travel without quarantine is only for islands that have no Covid-19 monitoring measures in place.

On July 15, Maldives lifted a ban on travelers from South Asia due to the worsening coronavirus situation in the region, however, they were only allowed to stay in resorts with transit facilities designated by the Ministry of Tourism for the first 15 days. They were allowed to travel to islands with guesthouses from July 30.

The state of public health emergency announced on 12 March 2020 has been extended a 17th time, to expire on September 1.