Speaker of Parliament and former President, Mohamed Nasheed has stated that he had visited the United Kingdom (UK) from March 11th-14th and that he is fully prepared to undergo testing for Covid-19 upon the request of the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
While the speaker made the comment at Wednesday's parliament sitting, the Parliament's Secretariat released a press statement on Tuesday night confirming that the Speaker had taken a personal trip to the UK from March 11th-14th and is ready to follow any and all orders by the HPA.
Due to the fact that the three latest confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Maldives had arrived from the UK, the government has determined to conduct tests and contact tracing for all arrivals from the UK between March 14th -19th.
Speaking at Wednesday's sitting, Speaker Nasheed noted that authorities had not determined to test inbound passengers from the UK at the time of his arrival nor had they issued a travel advisory to the nation. Therefore, Nasheed said that he had not undergone testing for Covid-19 upon arrival. However, he has been in self-isolation.
To my knowledge, only those with symptoms must undergo testing. By the grace of God, I have not exhibited any symptoms. Nonetheless, I am fully prepared to be tested if public health requests but I do want to question health professionals what scientific rationale the 14-day period is based on.Speaker of Parliament and former President, Mohamed Nasheed
All arrivals into the country have been subjected to a 14-day quarantine period as of March 22nd.
