Maldives Covid-19 cases surpass 5,000

Maldives Covid-19 tally has surpassed 5,000 with 143 new cases announced on Sunday.

The cases were confirmed among the 760 samples tested within 24 hours; 140 from the greater Malé region and three from outlying islands.

The new cases include 107 locals, 28 Bangladeshis, six Indians and two Nepalese nationals. This pushes the country’s Covid-19 case count to 5,041.

Further, while 2,804 patients have recovered from the virus thus far, there are 2,218 active cases currently including in eight resorts. There have been 19 deaths from Covid-19.

140 patients are receiving treatment at hospitals. Health officials had warned that an increase in cases could lead to more patients admitted at hospitals, a concern due to the lack of health capacity in the island nation. However, by the time the virus reached the outlying atolls, Covid-19 treatment facilities had been established in five regions across the country.

While the country’s first few cases were detected from resort islands in March, a community transmission was confirmed in capital Malé City in mid-April. This led to an immediate lockdown in the city, which authorities began easing on May 29. The country entered the third phase of the ease plan in July, which allowed reopening of borders as well as allowed public gatherings and dine-in services at restaurants, it led to a surge in cases, especially locals.

This prompted authorities to reintroduce a curfew in the capital last week, with special procedures for travelling to and from the city.

Some tourists have tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving in Maldives, since borders were reopened on July 15.