An enthusiastic President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has urged the globe to “come visit us”, as Maldives has once again become, “the sunny side of life”.
Delivering his General Debate Statement at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on Tuesday, the Maldivian president said that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic was a challenge, lacking a pattern, for the Maldives, as well as the entire globe.
Highlighting that Maldives imports nearly everything from food to medicine, to material Maldivians build shelter with, President Solih noted that the country’s economy relies heavily on tourism.
Maldives faced catastrophic outcomes when the government was forced to shut down borders due to the increasing threats of Covid-19 in March 2020. With this, tourist arrivals dropped abruptly, halting the country’s foreign currency flow. Businesses went under and the economy was plunged into chaos.
Maldives has been repeating a cycle of curfews, lockdowns and partial lockdowns since the detection of a community transmission of coronavirus back in April 2020. With the lockdown imposed, the people’s social wellbeing was also affected heavily, with years of schooling for children being hindered as well.
President Solih noted that the government’s first task at hand was to determine the best course of action, as the decision to close down borders was neither desired, not welcome, however, it was without choice that the government decided to close down borders.
The government had acquired all the resources needed to upgrade its healthcare system from scratch, at the time a vaccine against coronavirus was “a distant dream”.
The people had abided by strict standards throughout this plight, and Solih added that the government was successful in curbing the spread of the virus, with employees, agencies and volunteers willingly lining up to extend a helping hand.
Food, medical supplies and other necessities were stocked up. As a result, we were able to tackle the pandemic. We have vaccinated 95 percent of all school children, and 85 percent of all residents in the Maldives. Schools have resumed. Businesses have restarted. Our borders have been reopened, opening the doors to our resorts. The Maldives is ready to welcome the world.”Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, President of the Maldives.
Highlighting that the pandemic will continue to sweep steadily across the globe as it is far from being eradicated, the Maldivian president stated that the key is vaccination.
He stated that global vaccination as soon as possible is the “way to overcome” and with this being said, vaccine equity is of “paramount importance”.
Managing the virus is one aspect of recovery from Covid-19. Equally important is the task of rebuilding our economy, restoring livelihoods and a return to normal life.”Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, President of the Maldives.
In addition, Solih stated that as the world recovers from the menace of coronavirus, eventually and in time people must collectively resolve to make sure that such a catastrophe is not repeated again. He added that the people are banking their hopes on all present at the UNGA to ensure that resources, efforts, knowledge, discoveries and skills are pooled to prevent the next world pandemic.
