Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) has urged direct contacts of COVID-19 cases to stay indoors until their test result comes back negative.
Speaking at the daily press briefing held at HEOC, Dr. Nazla Musthafa from the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) said several direct contacts of positive cases have been going out and meeting up with people before their test results are confirmed. Noting this puts more people at risk, Dr. Nazla urged direct contacts to stay under home quarantine until their test results are confirmed. She also highlighted the importance of practicing social distancing and maintaining hand hygiene even when undergoing home quarantine.
Speaking further, the doctor said any individual who shows COVID-19 like symptoms must immediately visit a flu clinic for consultation and get tested. She said priority will be given to individuals showing symptoms and high-risk individuals when testing individuals who have not completed their 14-day quarantine period.
Dr. Nazla also noted there may be delays in transferring individuals who test positive for COVID-19 to isolation facilities. She said it is very important that social distancing is strictly maintained during this period in order to reduce the number of direct contacts. She called on the public to take the necessary precautions as instructed by health authorities in order to control the spread of COVID-19 in the Maldives.