Discussions have been held on further strengthening the preventative measures to curb an outbreak of the global novel coronavirus.

During a meeting with the Cabinet of Ministers held at the President’s Office on Tuesday afternoon, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made queries about what is being done by relevant authorities to safeguard the Maldivian people from the deadly infection.

Stressing that the amount of globally confirmed cases are skyrocketing by the day, Solih’s ministers shed light on a number of measures that could be taken as a safeguard measure from the coronavirus.

Further, Solih stressed on the importance of protecting the country from the ever-increasing number of those infected, in neighboring countries.

The Maldives is taking extra precaution in order to match the spiraling pace of the virus through improvised screening procedures carried out at all entry points into the country, including airports and seaports.

In addition, Solih shed light on programmes being carried out by relevant stakeholders to spread awareness at a national level, going on to seek suggestions and ideas from the ministers regarding preventative actions and safety protocols that may be of further assistance.

The death toll in China, where the epidemic began during December 2019, reached 1,016 by Monday. There were 2,478 newly confirmed cases, bringing the total of those infected to 42,638.

Earlier this week, another Maldivian was quarantined over the possibility of carrying the virus after returning from China. This is in line with the authorities’ decision to quarantine and monitor everyone returning from the southeastern nation in the past 14 days.

As part of efforts to ensure that the disease does not surface in the Maldives, authorities have temporarily halted direct flights from China.