Maldives has confirmed 607 new Covid-19 cases alongside 743 additional recoveries.

According to the latest figures publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), a total of 2,823 samples were tested for the infection between 6pm Thursday and 6pm Friday.

Further details of the new infections were not disclosed by the public health authority.

Friday’s new Covid-19 cases have pushed the Maldives Covid-19 case tally to 163,581.

With this development active Covid-19 cases across Maldives have dropped further to 15,368 from the previous day’s 15,504.

The additional recoveries confirmed by sundown on Friday have pushed the total number of recoveries confirmed across the archipelago nation thus far, to 147,910.

Hospital admissions remain unchanged from the previous day, at 28.

Maldives reported its first Covid-19 fatality in April 2020. The total number of deaths confirmed across the island nation sits at 290.

Although Maldives had maintained the Covid-19 caseload at low daily figures across the capital region in recent months, cases across the capital have been spiking recently. The caseload across the capital has been spiking since New Year’s. Due to this, HPA recently tightened safety measures across the Greater Malé Region.

However, the public health authority has since eased measures for direct contacts of positive cases across the capital. As such, fully vaccinated direct contacts of Covid-19 positive cases will no longer be required to undergo a quarantine period, if they do not exhibit symptoms.

As such, those who have been fully vaccinated among those identified as direct contacts of positive cases, will not be required to undergo a quarantine period if they do not show symptoms.

Further, those who have been fully vaccinated among those identified as direct contacts of positive cases and do exhibit symptoms, will be required to undergo Antigen or PCR testing and will not be required to quarantine if their test results return negative for the novel coronavirus. However, they will be required to quarantine until their test results are obtained. These individuals will be required to undergo PCR testing after five days of coming into contact with a covid-stricken individual.

The public health authority went on to reveal that individuals may only use the Covid-19 rapid antigen self-test kits if they have symptoms and should they test positive, they will be required to follow the steps mentioned in the publication.

The isolation period or quarantine period of these individuals will only be documented by the authority if they undergo Covid-19 testing at a registered laboratory or healthcare facility.

The public has been urged to strictly adhere to the safety guidelines in place, in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The country has been in a state of public health emergency for nearly two years now, since 12 March 2020. The last extension is set to expire on February 28.