Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) says that a traveler who arrived in Maldives from the UK has tested positive for Covid-19, and that they are unsure whether or not the infection was caused by the new, more virulent variant of the coronavirus currently spreading in the Britain and parts of Europe.

Addressing speculations that this UK traveler was patient zero for the 41 individuals who tested positive on 26 December after attending wedding party at SHE building, HEOC officials say that the traveler, a relative of a person who had tested positive, had come to Maldives after the party, which was held on the 20 December.

HEOC also clarified that the traveler had arrived in Maldives after some of the strict new normal and quarantine measures had been revised following a drop in cases, and that the traveler had tested positive after seeking out a Covid-19 test while exhibiting symptoms.

41 persons who attended the party tested positive for Covid-19, including high-risk individuals, after the wedding party held at SHE building on 20 December.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed that almost 120 invitees had attended the event.

HPA also said that they continue to send samples abroad for genotype testing and are effortlessly working to see if the new, more virulent variant of Covid-19 had reached Maldives.