A survey conducted in the Maldives has indicated most people wish to increase the COVID-19 testing capacity of the country.
The survey, titled Socio-Economic Aspects of COVID-19, is conducted jointly by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the Maldives National University (MNU). HPA stated 2,517 people took part in the second round of the survey, of which 2,368 participants provided complete responses.
The first release of results from the second round of the survey revealed 67% of the participants supported easing the lockdown restrictions imposed in the Maldives, including 50% who believe it should be done in phases according to the HPA guidelines, 15% who believe it should be fully eased with guidelines and 2% who believe it should be fully eased without guidelines. Meanwhile, 33% of the participants believe lockdown restrictions should not be eased.
The survey also revealed 55% of the participants wish to increase the testing capacity of the country prior to easing the lockdown restrictions. In addition, 51% participants believe compliance to guidelines should be monitored before easing up restrictions, while 45% believe families should be empowered on the preventive measures before easing.
Furthermore, the survey revealed 1 in 5 respondents had tested for COVID-19, with 3% testing positive, 85% testing negative and 12% pending results. The survey also revealed 69% of the participants practice proper hand hygiene for COVID-19 prevention, while 67% wear face masks and 57% follow proper social distancing.
The Socio-Economic Aspects of COVID-19 is an academic survey sanctioned by the National Council on Health Research. HPA has previously published the results of the first round of the survey, which includes the level of awareness on symptoms of COVID-19, the main concerns of the population with regards to the pandemic as well as the economic and financial impact of COVID-19 on families and individuals.