The government of India has announced its decision to provide assistance to the Maldives' efforts against Covid-19.

In a statement released on Thursday, the High Commission of India announced that a team of health experts from the neighbouring country will be dispatched to assist the Maldives' healthcare workers in the fight against Covid-19. The team will consist of anesthesiologists, pulmonologists, physicians and lab technicians.

Moreover, the statement reads that the Indian government will also donate medicines required for the treatment of the disease. The statement adds that the decision was made due to the close ties between the two neighbouring South Asian nations.

Further, the High Commission states that the humanitarian aid offered to the Maldives is a reflection of the close ties between the two countries and signals the strength of India's "Neighbourhood First" policy and Maldives' "India First" policy.

The seven Maldivians in Wuhan City, China - where the virus originated - were evacuated with the assistance of the Indian government. During the measles outbreak in the country earlier this year, the Indian government donated 30,000 doses of vaccines to the Maldives as well.