Maldives Police Service (MPS) took action on 154 lockdown violations on Wednesday.

This was revealed via the authority’s daily publication of lockdown violations on Thursday morning.

According to the police, eight individuals were arrested on Wednesday, which is two less compared to the number of individuals taken into police custody on Tuesday.

Police further revealed that while 153 individuals were fined on Tuesday, the number dropped to 146 on Wednesday.

With this development, the total number of individuals under police custody for violating the lockdown orders, to 249.

Maldives capital Malé City was locked down on April 15 following the detection of the first ever Covid-19 community transmission.

Since then, police had been issuing daily permits for individuals to go out for essential supplies. Individuals have been limited from going out for essentials, to once a week, since then.

The lockdown was initially set to end on May 14, however, authorities pushed it to another fortnight and the lockdown will remain in effect until May 28.

Under the orders of the Director General of Public Health, first time violators of the lockdown will be slapped with MVR 1,000 fines and repeat offenders will be arrested under Article 533 (a) of the Penal Code.

Authorities have continuously been pushing the public to obey guidelines set by the HPA for the safety and security of the community, stressing that the entire community is put at risk of contracting the virus due to a number of individuals who do not follow instructions set by the authorities for the safety of the community.