Male: Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Wednesday, announced 43 more people have tested positive for COVID-19.

According to HPA, the new cases are 28 Bangladeshis, 10 Maldivians, four Indians and one Nepali.

The 43 new cases by 10 am this Wednesday follows a lower 37 total new cases on Tuesday.

The new cases increases total COVID-19 cases in Maldives to 1,186. It includes 424 Maldivians, 609 Bangladeshis, 112 Indians, 16 Nepalese, six Sri Lankans and three Pakistanis.

While total virus cases in Maldives have risen to 1,186, 91 have made full recoveries and four have died from complications.

Maldives identified its first virus case, in Kuredu resort, on March 7, and has been in a state of public health emergency since March 12.

While virus cases had initially been restricted to resorts and safaris, and later inbound travelers in quarantine facilities, the populous Maldivian capital Male’ City identified its first virus case on April 15 – prompting a lockdown on the Greater Male’ Region.

Male’ quickly became the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Maldives, contributing to over 1,100 of the total virus cases.

Maldives has also imposed a nationwide ban on all non-essential travel, closed schools and government offices, and has ordered a temporary ban on mass gatherings in mosques in an effort to control the spread of the disease.

Health authorities project a significant surge in virus cases by the end of May, and have urged members of the general public to remain vigilant in adhering to preventive measures.

They have also begun testing for antibodies to identify how many had recovered from COVID-19 without having been aware of contracting the virus in the first place. The first round of antibody tests target congested labor quarters in Male’.

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