Male: The Unites States government, on Wednesday, donated a shipment of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Maldives, to aid in its efforts to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

The donation was presented by the US Ambassador to Maldives and Sri Lanka, Alaina B. Teplitz to the Maldivian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Omar Abdul Razzaq in a ceremony held at the Maldivian Embassy in Colombo.

The donations include protective coveralls, latex gloves, safety goggles and surgical gloves.

The ceremony was attended by senior officials from the Maldivian Embassy and the US Embassy in Sri Lanka.

Maldives identified its first coronavirus case on March 7, and declared a state of public health emergency over the pandemic four days later on March 11.

While coronavirus cases had initially been restricted to resorts and safaris, and later quarantine facilities holding inbound travelers, Male’ City identified its first coronavirus case on April 15, prompting a city-wide lockdown and a nationwide ban on nonessential travel.

The populous capital quickly emerged as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Maldives, contributing to over 90 percent of total cases.

Maldives has 2,261 confirmed coronavirus cases, out of which 1,839 patients have recovered and eight have died from complications.

35 percent of the 2,261coronavirus cases in the country are Maldivians, while the remaining 65 percent are foreign nationals. 1,176 people – making for 52 percent of total coronavirus cases – are Bangladeshis. The rest of the coronavirus cases include 795 Maldivians, 211 Indians, 43 Nepalese, and 13 Sri Lankans and 11 Italians.

Maldives began relaxing its lockdown following a drop in daily infections in the end of May.

The recovery rate stands at 81 percent, and the active cases have dropped to 412.

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