President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated the spread of COVID-19 in the Maldives is expected to reach a new peak in the next three weeks.
Speaking on the discussions held with health experts and the National COVID-19 Taskforce, President Solih said the detection of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus is expected to take the Maldives to a new peak in cases in the coming weeks. The president said healthcare professionals have advised to take strong precautions against the spread of the disease for the safety of everyone. He said the government’s plan is to take the required precautions while minimising the impact on the economy and livelihoods of the people.
Speaking further, President Solih highlighted the difficulties the country had to go through during previous waves of COVID-19, when lockdowns and movement restrictions had to be enforced to control the spread of the disease. He said the support and cooperation of the public will be essential in the efforts to ensure there is no repeat of the situation.
COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in the Maldives over the past few weeks. The 242 cases reported on January 3 was the highest single-day figure recorded in more than 4 months.