Authorities have tightened Covid-19 restrictions and extended measures in place in order to curb the spread of the virus in Malé City and outlying atolls.

This was revealed by a statement signed by the Director General of Public Health, Maimoona Aboobakuru which highlights that Malé City residents are now required to provide negative PCR results with a sample taken 72 hours prior to traveling to island, with special permission for essential travel.

The measures that have taken immediate effect for a period of seven days include extending the almost six-hour curfew from 11pm to 4:30am in the Greater Malé Region, disallowing gatherings of more than five persons, shutting down cinemas and movie theaters, closing running tracks, halting sports and group exercise activities as well as classes in gyms, closing down parks and public spaces as well as daycare services, nurseries and schools and halting physical college and university classes. Only solo exercise sessions are allowed at gyms.

The public health authority has also extended measures implemented in cafés, restaurants and tea shops on delivery, dine-in and takeaway services, by seven days starting Saturday.

As such, cafés and restaurants are required to halt dine-in services from 8pm, takeaway and delivery services are to be allowed until 10:30pm, HPA said.

Officers of the Maldives Police Service (MPS), Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), public service providers and their vehicles as well as ambulances, those holding permits acquired through Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) and those attending Fajr prayers are exempt from these restrictions.

This comes under efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the region, at a time daily infections have been snowballing and public health authorities have been raising concern over the mounting caseload.

All institutions have been urged to implement the measure and strictly adhere to it, and the public has been pushed to act in accordance with measures and instructions set forth by the relevant authorities in implementing the HPA’s orders.

The newly introduced measures will be in effect in Malé, Hulhumalé, Villimalé, Thilafushi and Gulhifalhu.

Authorities reintroduced a curfew in the Greater Malé Region on February 12, in light of the spike in daily infections being reported for the past couple of weeks. The nearly six-hour curfew was followed by restrictions on vehicle movement from 6pm to 6am for Greater Malé residents.

On Thursday, Maldives also extended the state of public health emergency for another month.