Five Maldivian men that fled from the quarantine facility in southernmost Herathera Island Resort have been remanded.

Maldives Police Service (MPS) revealed that they were taken for their remand sentencing to the Hulhumeedhoo Magistrate Court, upon which they were given 15 days in remand.

The five Maldivians fled from the quarantine facility on Wednesday evening and one of them was caught not long after.

Early Thursday morning, three out of the five escapees were caught and police continued the search for the fifth, who was caught not long after the others were taken into police custody.

Herathera Island Resort has been established as the southernmost quarantine facility.

This comes at a time those violating orders from authorities are being placed under police custody. Refusing to go into quarantine and fleeing from a facility is deemed a violation under the Public Health Act. Several individuals have been taken into quarantine after the Civil Court ordered the authorities to do so, after they refused to be taken.

In addition, unauthorized travel between islands have been banned following the detection of a Covid-19 community transmission, and those found to be violating this order are placed under police custody as well.