Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed 103 Maldivians have been repatriated from three countries, as part of the efforts to evacuate locals stranded abroad amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The foreign ministry said the locals who returned to the Maldives on May 31 include 48 individuals from Belarus, 32 from Sri Lanka and 23 from the UK. The ministry noted the locals were repatriated as part of the continuous efforts to evacuate locals stranded in different countries around the world.
Furthermore, the foreign ministry stated efforts are underway to repatriate Maldivians studying at the Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia. The ministry said arrangements have been made with the Saudi national airline to repatriate the Maldivian students, adding they will be brought home as soon as the airline resumes operations.
The foreign ministry says over 1,000 Maldivians have been evacuated from different parts of the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry requests locals living abroad to register at the nearest diplomatic mission of the Maldives if they wish to return home.