152 Bangladeshi nationals stranded in the Maldives due to the Covid-19 pandemic, have been repatriated.

The country’s national airline, Maldivian revealed that the migrant workers were repatriated via a flight on Friday, from the Velana International Airport.

This operation is part of the operations being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development, in cooperation with other relevant stakeholders.

Over 300 Bangladeshi nationals were sent home via a BIMAN Airline flight on Saturday and 67 were evacuated on Sunday.

The authorities have been in talks with the government of Bangladesh to repatriate undocumented workers living illegally in the Maldives.

Hundreds of migrant workers have been testing positive for Covid-19 in the Maldives, after the first community transmission was detected on April 15. Authorities have also begun an operation to move these individuals, at a high risk of contracting the virus due to their living conditions and lifestyles, to better living quarters.