Technical Advisory Group (TAG) has stated compliance with measures imposed by authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the Maldives can significantly restrict the number of cases in the country.
Speaking at the daily press briefing, Dr. Ibrahim Afzal from TAG said extensive efforts are underway to identify the contacts of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Male' City. He said although the number of contacts of the first case identified in the capital city was quite high, contacts of the rest of the cases have been within the predicted range. As such, he said approximately 70 people are expected to come into contact with every positive case.
Speaking further, Afzal said the main focus is to control the spread of COVID-19 in the Maldives, adding the success of the efforts depends on the public compliance to measures imposed by the authorities. He said the number of cases can still be significantly restricted if the public cooperates with the control measures.
Following the detection of COVID-19 in Male' City, several contacts have been identified from the positive cases, while several areas have been placed under monitoring by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). In this regard, 52 locations in Male', 9 locations in Hulhumale' and 12 locations from other regions have been placed under monitoring.