Maldives Immigration has had a hectic day evacuating over 500 foreigners stranded in the Maldives due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the mass evacuation operation launched by the authorities in order to facilitate the repatriation of foreign nationals stranded in the Maldives due to the lockdown imposed across the Greater Malé Region as well as the travel restrictions placed by the island nation, the immigration office repatriated nationals from Bangladesh as well as India and China on Friday.

As such, a total of 352 Bangladeshi nationals, 152 Indian nationals and 67 Chinese nationals were repatriated from the Velana International Airport.

The Bangladeshi nationals were sent back via two chartered flights from the country’s national airline, Maldivian airways.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday revealed that a total of 840 undocumented migrant workers from Bangladesh have been returned home since April 21.

With this being said, authorities have confirmed a number of cases where foreigners tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, in the Maldives.

A majority of these foreigners include Bangladeshi nationals who are at a higher risk of contracting the disease due to their challenging lifestyles and the confined living spaces they are forced to live in.

The authorities have been in talks with the government of Bangladesh to repatriate undocumented workers living illegally in the Maldives and so far, authorities have also begun an operation to move these individuals to better living quarters, temporarily.