Maldives Covid-19 case total reaches 13,867

Maldives’ Covid-19 total has reached 13,867 with 33 new infections reported on Sunday.

The new cases were confirmed from 1,734 samples tested within 24 hours. 24 of the cases are from the greater Male’ region with six from operational resorts and one each from an inhabited island, liveaboard vessel and an industrial island.

They include 20 locals, four Bangladeshi nationals as well as two each from United Kingdom and Sri Lanka and one each from Slovakia, Lebanon, Nigeria, South Africa and Colombia.

While all are in stable condition, the 33 new infections include four patients under the age of 10 with the youngest being a six-month old local boy.

Further, with the 25 new recoveries reported on Sunday, Maldives has seen a total of 13,191 recoveries thus far. The recovery rate is 95.12 percent. Mortality rate is at 0.36 percent with 48 deaths.

While reported daily infections were relatively low at the start December, it started increasing gradually towards the end of the month. With this, the country’s Covid-19 active case count has risen to 621; 459 of the cases the cases in the greater Male’ region, 35 in residential islands, 91 in resorts, 20 in liveaboard vessels, 13 in islands under development as well as three in industrial islands.

29 patients are receiving treatment at hospitals.

Out of the 13,867 coronavirus infections confirmed in the island nation since March, 62.91 percent are locals.

While Maldives' first Covid-19 cases were confirmed from resorts in March, a community transmission was detected on April 15. This led to a complete lockdown in the capital, as well as a partial lockdown across the country with travel between islands banned. Lockdown easing began in late-May.

The country’s borders were also closed following the pandemic, and were reopened nearly four months later during the third phase of the ease plan, on July 15. While tourist arrivals were lower than hoped initially, it continued to increasing each passing month, and the country saw nearly 100,000 visitors in December alone.

The increase in visitors has led to a subsequent rise in foreigners testing positive for the virus in the island 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.