High chance that new variant could reach Maldives, but no added danger: HEOC

The Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) advised that there was a very real possibility that the new, more virulent variant of Covid-19 currently sweeping through the United Kingdom and different parts of the world could reach Maldives.

Speaking on RaajjeTV's "Fala Surukhee" program regarding the new Covid-19 variant and the status of the Maldives, Assistant Director for the Ministry of Health, Abdulla Mauroof said that while the new variant was now being reported in the UK and other countries, experts were analyzing the variant and its effects very closely, and that the Maldives would be following international-best practice in order to curb the spread of the virus.

Adding that news of the Covid-19 variant came just as the Maldives had relaxed some travel restrictions following efforts to reduce the number of positive cases, Mauroof said that the government had reconsidered the decision made two weeks ago to rescind quarantine for international travelers, and that travelers from the UK would now need to complete a mandatory quarantine period under new regulations even if they are arriving in capital Male'.

The restriction for travelers from the UK was announced shortly after an ease for locals and visa holders returning to Male' from abroad, that allows them into the country without having to quarantine.

Mauroof went on to reassure that there was no known "added danger" while referring to the new variant, explaining that it did not present the threat of a more fatal or severe disease course. He said that viruses were expected to evolve by nature over time, and that the Covid-19 virus had also changed somewhat as more and more people had gotten infected.

The health ministry official went on to explain that the new variant represented a more virulent modification to the Covid-19 virus, and that the rate of spread had been recorded to be much higher than the earlier variant.

Further, Mauroof said that while the number of cases being reported in the Maldives were now relatively low, there is a very real possibility that the new variant could be introduced to the country as many tourists were traveling to the Maldives following the re-opening of borders.

He stressed that the pandemic-response teams in the country were preparing for this outcome, and advised that the public continue to adhere to the health and safety regulations in place to help inhibit the spread of the virus in the Maldives.