113 “Covid-19 vulnerable” migrant workers are being moved to the Gulhifalhu quarantine facility, while 82 of those that have tested positive are to be moved to the Hulhumalé 'expatriate isolation facility'.

This was revealed at the daily Covid-19 press conference on Saturday night, with spokesperson Mohamed Mabrook Aziz saying that they will be moved “tonight”.

While a number of expatriate workers have tested positive for coronavirus in the Maldives, a decongesting programme to relocate those living in congested spaces is being carried out as part of the work to contain the spread of Covid-19. They are to be moved to accommodation blocks established in Gulhifalhu and Hulhumalé.

As such, the Gulhifalhu facility is being developed to accommodate 674 people while the Hulhumalé facility will accommodate 2,700 people. The latter is being developed with the help of the economic ministry.

Mabrook at Saturday’s press conference said that they expect these to be completed “within two weeks”.

He further revealed that a quarantine facility for vulnerable migrants is also being developed at Hulhumalé, by the home ministry.

Authorities had previously revealed that 23 vulnerable houses identified through a community survey are being monitored, adding that there are over a thousand people living in these places. 95 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in one such location, as well as 74 from another vulnerable house.

The decongestion 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.

On Saturday, the director general of public health had issued an order for vulnerable migrants to be moved to quarantine facilities.