Maldives reports 47 new Covid-19 cases incl. 22 foreigners
The country's Covid-19 total has reached 13,804
Sample collected for Covid-19 testing
Maldives reported 47 new coronavirus infections on Friday, the first of January 2021, including at least 22 imported cases.
25 of the cases are from the greater Male’ region, the coronavirus epicenter, while two are from residential islands. The remaining 20 cases are from tourist establishments; three from resorts and 17 from liveaboard vessels.
They include 25 locals and 22 foreigners; three individuals from United Kingdom, two each from Ireland, Romania, Belgium, Netherlands, North Korea and United States as well as one each from Nigeria, Kazakhstan, American Samoa, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal and Bangladesh.
All are in stable condition.
Out of Friday’s 47 new cases, eight are over the age of 50 with the oldest a 72-year-old man from Belgium. The youngest is a five-year-old Irish girl.
Maldives’ Covid-19 total has reached 13,804, and with the nine additional recoveries reported on Friday, a total of 13,150 patients have recovered from the virus thus far. While the total cases include seven individuals whose cause of death was not directly related to Covid-19, a total of 48 deaths have been confirmed.
With the gradual increase in daily coronavirus cases seen towards the end of December, the country’s Covid-19 active case count has risen to 599; 427 of the cases are in the Male’ region, 43 in residential islands, 25 in islands under development, three in industrial islands while 101 of the active cases in tourist establishments; 81 in resorts and 20 in liveaboard vessels.
Maldives’ first few Covid-19 cases were detected from resorts in early March 2020, and a community spread was only confirmed over a month later on April 15. While the country’s borders were closed on March 27 following the confirmation of cases from resorts, they were reopened on July 15.
Tourist arrivals were much lower than hoped initially, but continued to increase each passing month. As such, December’s arrivals exceeded the total of the first five months after reopening.
The increase in visitors has led to a subsequent rise in foreigners testing positive for the virus in the archipelago nation.
All tourists are required to present a negative PCR test result obtained 72 hours prior to departure to Maldives, to be allowed entry into the country. They are also requested to inform authorities, if they test positive for the virus within 14 days of departure from the Maldives.
