Spokesperson at the President's Office Mohamed Mabrook Azeez has stated the government has not decided on imposing a lockdown in the Greater Male' Region.
The spokesperson made the statement after some media outlets reported the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) had advised the government to impose a lockdown on May 25 following the spike of COVID-19 cases. He clarified that the government has not decided to impose a lockdown.
Currently, Health Protection Agency (HPA) is imposing a curfew from 1600hrs to 0400hrs in the Greater Male' Region and a ban on prayer congregations until May 25. HPA has also suspended dine-in services from all cafes and restaurants in the Male' region, while delivery services can be provided with a police permit.
Furthermore, the government has mandated its workers to conduct their work at home and made government services available online. The government has also stopped giving out tourist visas to travellers from South Asian countries.
HPA has imposed curfews in multiple regions across the Maldives due to the ongoing wave of COVID-19 cases in the country. The daily number of COVID-19 cases reported in the Maldives hit a new record on May 20, with 2,194 new cases.
The latest update from the HPA shows 1,603 new cases reported on May 21, including 1,025 cases in the Greater Male' Region and 571 cases in the atolls. HPA has reported 21,079 active cases with 286 people receiving treatment in hospitals.