President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated the priority of the government remains to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the Maldives. The president made the remark during a telephone call with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss the ongoing situation regarding the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the telephone call, President Solih commended the Secretary-General for his leadership during this ongoing global crisis and provided an outline of the measures the Maldives has implemented at the national level to contain COVID-19. He also discussed areas in which the United Nations could be of assistance to the Maldives and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), detailing the challenges faced during the immediate health response phase. Furthermore, President Solih briefed Secretary-General Guterres on early interventions the government undertook in response to the reporting of the first positive case on March 7.
The country declared a State of Public Health Emergency last month, and through strict border control, screening and quarantine measures, successfully prevented community spread for over a month. The situation has changed with the identification of positive cases in the Greater Male' Region.
President Solih requested assistance towards the Maldives, welcoming the recent establishment of the United Nations Response and Recovery Fund to aid low and middle-income economies that have been heavily impacted by the spread of COVID-19. The president also highlighted that SIDS such as the Maldives are predominantly dependent on international tourism and trade, and are therefore disproportionately impacted by the measures that have to be imposed to effectively contain COVID-19. In light of this, he welcomed the initiatives by Secretary-General Guterres to restructure debt repayment windows and to forgive debts, for countries with vulnerable economies.