Maldives Police Service (MPS) has announced the third round of mass public health in the Greater Male’ Region is set to begin on August 25.
Speaking at a press conference held at Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC), Chief Superintendent of Police Abdulla Shareef said the third round of mass public health inspection will be conducted by MPS, in collaboration with Health Protection Agency (HPA). Shareef said stricter action will be imposed on establishments violating HPA guidelines, as compared to the previous two rounds. He added all establishments which serve the public will be inspected during this round, with no exceptions.
The guideline issued by HPA on the mass public health inspection states any establishment which violates the health and safety protocols of HPA will be closed for at least 48 hours after inspection. The guideline states if the establishment is found to have breached the protocols for a second time, it will be closed for at least 3 days and fined USD 65 US. Meanwhile, a third violation will lead to the establishment being closed for 5 days along with another fine of USD 65.
Furthermore, HPA has stated any establishments which were temporarily closed during the initial inspection rounds will be fined USD 65 and closed for 5 days if it is found to have violated the guidelines again during the upcoming round of inspection.
HPA carried out the first round of the mass inspection on July 12, as part of efforts to observe the level of compliance to COVID-19 control measures by shops, cafes, restaurants, salons and other establishments which serve the public. During the first round, 1,390 establishments were inspected although no action was taken against any of the establishments.
The second round of the inspection was carried out from July 29 to August 8, with stricter measures imposed against establishments violating safety guidelines. A total of 1,545 establishments were inspected during the second round, of which 258 establishments were closed for violating safety guidelines.
Closed establishments were given 24 hours to rectify the violations and inform HPA in order to reopen. HPA stated all but 7 establishments were permitted to reopen after the violations were corrected.