Defence chief tests positive for Covid-19

Chief of Defence Force, Major General Abdulla Shamaal has tested positive for coronavirus.

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said that the chief was tested for the infection following symptoms on Saturday, and that his results came back positive.

He is currently in isolation at his home.

Noting that those identified as his direct contacts have been quarantined, MNDF said that Shamaal had not attended any social gatherings or traveled abroad, in recent days.

While a number of military personnel are on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic response efforts, they have taken measures to curb a spread among officers with an isolation area established in the MNDF headquarters.

During the earlier stage of the pandemic last year, a number of officers -both police and military- had contracted the virus.