Opposition supporters arrested from the PPM-PNC protests held on Friday, who refused to give samples for Covid-19 testing, have been fined and released from police custody.

39 people were arrested from Friday's protests organized by the opposition PPM-PNC coalition. They have since been levied with a fine of MVR 1,000 for violating Health Protection Agency (HPA) guidelines amid a state of public health emergency, and released from police custody.

The protests being organized by the opposition coalition in recent weeks go against health and safety guidelines issued by the HPA in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, as gatherings of more than five people are presently banned across the Male' area. The Elections Commission (EC) has also previously issued instructions to political parties to strictly follow HPA regulations at a time the number of new Covid-19 cases being reported in the capital city have been concerningly high.

Police earlier confirmed that opposition supporters arrested from Friday's protests had declined to provide samples for Covid-19 testing, despite having come into direct contact with law enforcement personnel during tense confrontations over the weekend. Police further revealed that while many people are being kept in custodial as well, those arrested at Friday's protests had been asked to test for Covid-19 as a precaution.

The opposition PPM-PNC coalition have been conducting a series of protests across the nation's capital over various demands. Police have previously warned that they would be pursuing legal action against protestors, as the gatherings are being conducted against HPA regulations and put many citizens at risk of Covid-19 infection. MPS also notes that the protests being conducted are not peaceful in nature as well, in addition to going against regulations implemented to control Covid-19.

The Maldives is presently experiencing a devastating third wave of the global pandemic, with over 2,600 active cases across the country at present. The number of deaths attributed to Covid-19 have also increased, pushing the nation's total Covid-19 death toll to 64.