President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated now is not the time to lower caution regarding the spread of COVID-19, adding the administration is hopeful of containing the deadly virus should the country maintain the rigorous preventive measures it has taken for another one month.
Speaking at a press conference, President Solih said the administration has been taking preventive and proactive measures as advised by the technical team to contain COVID-19 in the Maldives. The president said the measures taken have been timely and important. He said Maldives has been able to contain the spread of the virus due to effective measures it has taken based upon the recommendation from health experts and the country will come out of this global pandemic should it effectively observe the measures for one more month.
President Solih remarked the exemplary efforts in Wuhan City in Hubei Province, China to contain the virus and highlighted the tighter controls the city had to overcome the outbreak. He urged the public to heed government advice and work towards containing the virus by pertaining to staying at home to limit the risk of further spread.
Responding to questions from the media, President Solih said it is extremely demanding and challenging times as staying home without daily businesses is difficult for all individuals. However, the president applauded the efforts of all stakeholders the example shown by the public. He further thanked the public for their continued patience during this testing situation.
Highlighting the readiness of the administration, President Solih said the administration has already made plans and preparations for any worst-case scenarios and are working to arrange facilities to cater to an outbreak. The president said the government has also forecast the possible highest critical cases in the Maldives and are taking measures to prepare for such a situation. In this regard, he remarked the administration has now set up 200 ICU beds and over 1,000 beds and facilities required for quarantine and isolation.