K. Male'
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16 Apr 2020 | Thu 03:20
Malé City was placed on a 24-hour lockdown on Wednesday
Malé City was placed on a 24-hour lockdown on Wednesday
RaajjeMV
Covid-19 pandemic
Are Maldivians finally going to feel the severity of Covid-19?
 
It all comes to this; stay home and practice physical distancing
 
All three cases are from the country's very congested capital
 
Maldives has confirmed a total of 23 patients so far, with the last three discovered within the past 24 hours

The Maldivian government began preparing for a possible coronavirus outbreak shortly after Chinese officials informed the World Health Organization about a cluster of patients with mysterious pneumonia on March 31. Thermal screening cameras were placed at the airports in January and people with a travel history to mainland China within the last 14 days were not allowed to enter or transit in the country from February 4.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih began his presidential address on 3rd February by highlighting that the virus poses a threat to the Maldives as well, just like the rest of the world.

“The world is ever changing in its fortunes. Today, the coronavirus casts its shadow across the globe, threatening the Maldives as well as others. In accordance with the guidelines of the World Health Organisation, all our Government institutions are bound by a united mission to safeguarding our population from this illness, God willing. We understand the difficulty this poses to the Maldives’ economy. While recognising the effects this will have on our tourism industry, the Government has closed off several routes of air travel. Our highest responsibility is the safety of our citizens. The Government will take all necessary precautionary measures to contain the spread of this virus and to keep our citizens safe”
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on February 3, 2020

Authorities have taken various other measures, to curb a spread in the country including suspending travel between resorts and inhabited islands as well as banning arrivals with travel history to high risk countries and ultimately suspending issuing on-arrival visas.

And while a number of Maldivians abroad expressed interest in returning home, it was decided that these returnees will be quarantined for a 14-day period and tested for Covid-19 before release. All to make sure that there is no community spread.

However, there is no known cure for the virus and there is only one way to prevent infection. We saw this being practiced in various other nations, and we all liked and talked about the videos of Italians singing from their balconies or others clapping in support for healthcare workers, but did not realize that there is a reason they had to stay home.

To be real, those in Maldives have yet to feel the real dangers of this virus that has killed over a hundred thousand people worldwide despite all the information available online, and being given by the authorities here.

It all comes to this; stay home and practice physical distancing.

This is one thing that all health and other technical experts agree on across the world, and the only thing that has shown a difference in countries such as the United States where there are over 600,000 confirmed cases and over 27,000 deaths.

While U.S. first projected 100,000 to 250,000 deaths due to Covid-19, the country’s director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has since said that it will end up being less than the original projection and attributed it to the success of social distancing. Social distancing has also been effective in other countries where we saw the virus rapidly spreading, including Italy where we saw the number of cases rocket in a short period of time.

Just on Tuesday, authorities revealed the Maldives’ projections had there not been preventive measures or if there is a community spread. As such, over 98,000 people are estimated to contract the virus with 10,981 deaths. While these projections estimate over 46,000 cases in the capital alone, without any measures the cases are expected to reach over 7,500 on peak day. However, with the preventive measures, the infections are expected to reach only 2,000 on peak day; around the 105th day.

While Maldives has confirmed a total of 23 positive cases, the last two were discovered in less than 24 hours from the country’s congested capital with over 100,000 people estimated to be living in about a 9.27 square kilometer area.

This is the first sign of a possible community spread in the country, and should be the final warning for Maldivians to take this virus seriously.

With the discovery of the first case in Malé, the city was placed under a 24-hour lockdown and with the two additional cases there is a chance that this will be extended. Health Minister Abdulla Ameen stated that the government is ready to do so, “if required” at a press conference held in the evening.

Shortly after the lockdown was announced a large number of people gathered at the shops despite delivery services being available, making one wonder if the lockdown will be as effective as the three-hour curfew imposed for a week; about a hundred people violated the curfew order each day.

If Maldivians still cannot comprehend how no country or person is safe from the virus, it is time for the authorities to take even more tough measures – a MVR 1,000 fine for violating curfew or lockdown orders is just not enough. We cannot keep talking about civil responsibility and just leave it at that, hoping that people will listen. Do whatever is necessary to make them listen, but not at the expense of human rights.

Of course, physical distance “is only part of the equation” but if it is the only way to reduce spreading should we not practice it fully?

The country’s leader made an emotional appeal for all to stay home, and that should be enough for us to grasp the severity of the situation.

Last updated at: 4 months ago
Reviewed by: Aman Haleem
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