The state of public health emergency, first declared across the Maldives on 12 March 2020 following the confirmation of coronavirus cases on 7 March 2020, has been revoked.

This was announced by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Sunday.

The announcement was made in a televised address to the public, following consultations with public health experts.

In his address, a beaming President revealed that the public health authorities would publicize their instructions on a way forward following the state of public health emergency being dissolved.

He further revealed that the Ministry of Health will compile and implement a National Strategy and Action Plan, as part of the efforts towards Covid-19 response.

Stressing on the socio-economic hurdles the ongoing pandemic shed the spotlight on, over the past two year, the President stated that Maldives was successful in controlling the spread of Covid-19, only because of the full cooperation and support extended by the general public and private parties, towards the administration’s precautionary measures and guidelines.

The President also stated that there wasn’t one family across the archipelago nation which had not been affected by the pandemic. As such, he noted that there were many locals who had experienced indirect impacts of the pandemic as well.

The authorities had extended the state of public health emergency, first announced on 12 March 2020 as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic as per the powers vested in them under the Public Health Protection Act (No. 7/12), and under recommendations by the Director General of Public Health, Maimoona Aboobakuru several times over the course of the past two years.

The last extension was in late February, to expire at the end of March.

According to the public health protection act, the minister of health is given the power to declare a state of public health emergency in specific areas or nationwide, following recommendations by the director general of public health.

This is the first time Maldives has ever been in a state of public health emergency.

This comes at a time the Covid-19 caseload has been gradually decreasing, weeks after the Maldives got immersed in another Covid-19 wave with cases surging to 2,000 on a daily basis, since the New Year celebrations were held.

The vaccination drive launched nationwide in February 2021, in also proceeding smoothly, with health authorities even having rolled out booster doses for the entire nation.