Having to return to a state of lockdown will not be right, says President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The president made the statement in a tweet sent out on Monday morning, after the country reported a record daily increase in Covid-19 cases the previous day.

Highlighting the spike in cases, Solih appealed to all to wear face masks in public as well as obey the guidelines and advice of the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

He added that re-entering a lockdown “will not be right”.

A total of 215 new cases were detected on Sunday; 149 locals, 54 Bangladeshis, seven Indians, two Sri Lankans, two Nepalese nationals and an Indonesian.

While this is the highest daily rise in Covid-19 cases reported in the island nation since the virus was first detected from resorts on March 7, it pushes the country’s total case count to 4,164.

A community transmission was detected on April 15, and while the greater Malé region was placed on full lockdown and the entire country on a partial lockdown with authorized travel between islands prohibited, the government began lockdown easing on May 29.

The country entered the third phase of the ease plan in July, which allowed the reopening of schools and mosques in the capital as well as dine-in services at cafés and restaurants and public gatherings of 30 people.