Mid-term holidays have been extended for an additional week over Covid-19 fears.

Speaking at Wednesday nights press briefing, the government's spokesperson for Covid-19 Mohamed Mabrook Aziz said that the state has decided to extend the ongoing mid-term holidays for an additional week and delay re-opening schools.

Nevertheless, this decision may be revised according to the country's public health situation, said Mabrook.

As such, Mabrook assured that the state will not hesitate to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and welfare of citizens.

Schools were set to re-open after the mid-term holidays on March 15th next Sunday. However, schools will now re-open on March 22nd.

This comes at a time when many members of the public have expressed concern with sending children to school following the discovery of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Maldives. This included many parents and teachers as well as the Maldivian Medical Association who recommended temporarily shutting schools down as a preventative measure against Covid-19.

Eight individuals have tested positive for coronavirus in the Maldives so far, all foreigners in three resorts. A case is yet to be confirmed from an inhabited island, including the capital city.