The National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) has revealed that a group of individuals were taken from Maldives capital Malé City, to Kulhudhuffushi City, after informing the council.
This comes at a time the issue of seven individuals being evacuated from Malé to Kulhudhuffushi without informing the council, surfaced on Saturday.
Detailing this incident, Covid-19 spokesperson Mohamed Mabrook Aziz revealed that seven residents of Kulhudhuffushi City who were stranded in the capital due to the lockdown imposed across the Greater Malé Region on April 15, returned on Saturday. This includes residents of the city and Kumundhoo island, Haa Dhaal atoll.
They were receiving treatment in the capital under the government health insurance scheme, “Aasandha” when the capital was locked down.
The government has publicized the protocol to be followed when evacuating island residents stranded in the capital after visiting for several purposes, in the government gazette. The protocol places priority in those who were brought under the assistance of Aasandha or the National Social Protection Authority.
Included among the seven individuals are three cancer patients and their dependents, five are Kulhudhuffushi residents and two are Kumundhoo residents, said Mabrook.
Residents of the city have been placed in a quarantine facility established there and authorities are working to send the two Kumundhoo residents to the island as well.
The Director General of Public Health Maimoona Aboobakuru initially imposed the lockdown across Kulhudhuffushi City on April 21, set to expire on April 24 amid fears of a possible community spread of the Covid-19 virus.
It was extended a second time round for seven days, set to end at 12pm, May 1 and authorities extended the lockdown to another seven days, set to expire at 12pm on May 7.
The City Council revealed that the lockdown comes under orders of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) following the risk of the disease spreading among the community and in light of the current situation in the city. As such, some cases have been emerging from northern islands of recent.
During this time, the residents have been urged to cooperate with authorities in their efforts to control and contain the spread of the disease, follow the instructions set by relevant authorities and do their part for the community.
Authorities earlier banned travel between all inhabited islands and declared a lockdown across the Greater Malé Region on April 15, which was to remain until April 30 but the government has extended it to another 14 days, set to expire on May 14. The State of Public Health Emergency has also been extended to expire on May 30.
As of Sunday morning, there have been a total of 519 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Maldives, this includes a number of cases from outlying islands as well.
