The Australian government on July 28, donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth over MVR 1.8 million to Maldives' COVID-19 response.

The PPE consisted of 12,000 coveralls and 200,000 gloves manufactured in Sri Lanka by Australian company Ansell.

The Australian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka and Maldives David Holly and Australia's Defense Advisor Group Captain Sean Unwin handed over the aid supplies to the Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Omar Adul Razzak and Defense Advisor to the High Commission of Maldives Lieutenant Colonel Ismail Naseer.

"Australia expresses solidarity with Maldives as we both face the impacts of the global COVID-19 crisis together", High Commissioner Holly said at the handover ceremony.

"As a longlasting friend, Australia is pleased to help Maldives counter COVID-19 by providing this equipment to protect those on the frontline".

Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and High Commissioner Omar Abdul Razzak expressed their gratitude towards the Australian government for the aid extended during this time of need.

In addition to Australia, Maldives has received foreign aid for its COVID-19 response from various other countries, including the United States (US), China, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Japan, India and Bangladesh.

Maldives currently records a total of 3,950 positive cases out of which 1,305 are active cases. Till date, the country recorded 2,613 recoveries and 17 fatalities.

On March 12, WHO classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. To date, the new strain of novel coronavirus has infected over 18 million people and claimed over 690,000 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 11.3 million people have recovered.

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