95 among the the 107, covid-19 cases reported on Thursday evening are from the same location.

They were all expatriate wokers living under one roof. According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the individuals were being isolated inside a house that had been identified as "vulnerable".

These vulnerable households are cramped and inadequate expatriate living quarters located in the capital Male' City. The had been identified as potential hotspots and at "high-risk" to the disease.

Speaking before the press on Thursday Night, National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) spokesperson Mabrook Azeez confrmed that all 95 cases were confirmed “from the same location”.

Mabrook revealed that a total of 23 such living quarters are currently being monitored, and that there are 1,085 people residing in these households.

While authorities had previously announced a decongestion programme, Mabrook added that there will be progress in this work within the coming days.

The programme was launched in April, to re-locate about 1,500 expatriate workers. These workers have always been at a high risk of being infected and in turn spreading the virus, give the small, unhygienic and congested living quarters provided for them. Both local and international human rights group have previously expressed concern over the ‘inhuman treatment’ of migrant workers in the Maldives.

Following the community survey in which the 23 locations were identified, police have been monitoring the movement in and out of these places.