Head of Communicable Disease Control Department (CDCD) Dr. Fathimath Nazla has said contacts by COVID-19 patients will not be infectious before they develop symptoms.
Speaking at a news conference, Nazla said not all people on an island to have COVID-19 reported cases are exposed to danger. Detailing how contacts do not spread the virus, she said COVID-19 becomes infectious once the infected start developing symptoms. Nazla further said risk analysis of all contacts with the tourists testing positive have been carried out and authorities have identified details of the transactions between the tourists and the identified contacts including the duration and the matter of correspondences. The analysis has also classified the contacts into different categories considering the exposure to risk.
The head of CDCD said these measures have indicated how these contacts are to be isolated or quarantined. She explained while some have been sent for home isolation, the others have been instructed to be isolated at the facility in Farukolhufushi after considering the assessments. She additionally said all the contacts isolated in Kuredu are not employees, but they also include people who have been isolated considering their contacts with the tourists testing positive for the virus.
COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus that generally spreads through droplets released generally through coughing and sneezing. People who spend more than 15 minutes to have a face to face conversation and people who spend 2 hours in a closed environment with an infected person is deemed a contact.
Authorities have urged people to use a tissue to cover the nose and mouth when sneezing and sneezing and coughing into the upper sleeve has been suggested in case a tissue is unavailable.