Covid-19: 113 new cases reported ahead of vote weekend

113 new cases of Covid-19 were reported across the Maldives on Thursday, with an additional 152 recoveries confirmed from the infection nationwide.

56 of the 113 new cases reported Thursday were from the Male' area, with 46 additional cases reported from inhabited islands, and 11 new cases from operational resorts.

Health authorities tested a total of 3,062 samples for the infection between Wednesday and Thursday.

With this, the Maldives total Covid-19 case tally is now 25,304, of which 3,062 are active cases. By sundown on Thursday, 85 people remain admitted in hospitals for Covid-19 treatment across the country.

A further 113 recoveries from the infection were reported on Thursday, bringing the total number of recoveries observed for the infection in Maldives up to 22,166.

With several islands placed under monitoring, Covid-19 health and safety restrictions are being strengthened across the Maldives in order to control transmission of the virus. The Health Protection Agency has been steadily easing measures in the Greater Male' region ahead of the Local Council and Women's Development Committee Elections, scheduled to be held on Saturday.

As the fasting month of Ramazan will begin right after the vote, authorities have been working to control Covid-19 transmissions without initiating a city-wide lockdown. The curfew and vehicle movement restriction order in effect across the nation's capital was also dissolved recently.

However, the state of public health emergency across the country has been extended for another month until 4 May, with authorities most recently having confirmed the 67th death from Covid-19 in Maldives. With a Covid-19 mortality rate of 0.29 percent, most of those who have passed away after contracting the infection in Maldives are elderly persons.