Mask mandate comes into effect across the Maldives

A mask-mandate has come into effect across all inhabited islands of the Maldives as authorities tighten health and safety restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of the Covid-19 infection.

Beginning 7 February, all those living in inhabited islands of the Maldives will be required to effectively wear masks when out in public, and a fine will be imposed against all those who do not comply, as was done previously in the Male' area. Authorities have announced that those who fail to follow the mask mandate in both the capital of Male' and in islands will be fined by MVR 1000 without warning.

At a press-briefing on Wednesday, Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) revealed on 3 February that a mask-mandate, as issued by the Director General of Public Health Maimoona Aboobakuru, would come into effect across the Maldives on 7 February. Authorities have since confirmed that while police are not active on all the islands of the Maldives, special task forces had been established to find and fine those who were non-compliant with the mask mandate in different islands across the atolls.

Maldives Police Service (MPS) Head of Traffic Superintendent of Police Hussain Sameer said on Wednesday's press that fines would be imposed beginning from MVR 1,000 from islands for those who failed to effectively wear masks while outdoors.

According to the order by the Director General of Public Health, which makes effectively wearing masks mandatory across all the inhabited islands of the Maldives, the mandate will be in effect beginning 7 February until further notice.

The order also notes that children under the age of two, those who are actively engaging in exercise, those who cannot wear and dispose of a mask of their own volition, and those who are actively consuming food and beverages at a hotel, café', restaurant or other such establishment will be exempt from the nationwide mask mandate.

While a vehicle movement restriction order has been put into effect for the Greater Male' area between 8:30pm and 4:30am, 10 cars from every taxi center have been given the greenlight to operate within the city at this time to facilitate the essential travel needs of citizens. A curfew, effective between 11pm and 4:30am, has been initiated in the capital for a period of two weeks in a bid to curb the spread of the Covid-19 infection.

Speaking on Wednesday's press conference, consultant for the HEOC Dr. Sheena Moosa revealed that, when ranking different countries of the world, the Maldives was in a category where the Covid-19 pandemic presented great risks, as the new and more virulent variant of the infection seen earlier in the United Kingdom, was also now spreading the the Maldives. Dr. Sheena then went on to present HEOC statistics which show that 30 percent of the new cases being reported in the country corresponded to the UK variant.

16,656 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the Maldives thus far, 2,039 of which are active cases. As of 6pm on Saturday, 207 persons are receiving in-hospital care for the infection in the country, and 6,854 have been administered shots of the Covid-19 vaccine over the course of the past week.