Vice President of Maldives Trade Union (MTU) Saudulla Ahmed has praised the key economic decisions made by the government amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at a programme aired on PSM News, MTU Vice President Saudulla Ahmed said even the biggest countries in the world faced severe economic consequences from the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving millions in financial hardship. Noting the Maldives has a fragile economy that is highly dependent on one sector, Saudulla said the Maldives was able to avoid the worst of the hardships with the help of key decisions made by the government. As such, he praised the decisions to issue subsidies for water and electricity bills, offer moratoriums for bank loans, and provide economic relief packages for all ranges of businesses.
Saudulla further noted the detection of a new, more transmissible COVID-19 variant means more efforts must be undertaken to ensure economic stability. He said the efforts to diversify the economy and reduce the dependency on the tourism sector are crucial for survival in the long term.