Male: Health Protection Agency (HPA) lifted the nationwide restrictions with the exception of capital Male' from June 15, which were imposed over the COVID-19 pandemic.

The declaration was made in a circular signed and released by Director General of Public Health Maimoona Aboobakuru on Sunday night.

With this development, the safety measures imposed nationwide to contain the spread of the coronavirus, under the State of Public Health Emergency declared on March 12, have been lifted from all islands in Maldives except Male' City.

Thus from Monday onwards, inter-island travel may resume within the atolls, nearly two months after the nationwide travel ban announced on April 16. The bans on public gatherings and prayer congregations are also lifted from all islands outside of the capital.

Meanwhile, the Greater Male' Region, which has been on lockdown since April 15 following the first detected local transmission of COVID-19, commenced the second phase of easing lockdown measures on Monday, which allows movement without permit for essential needs, businesses and delivery services, as well as other necessities within limitations as stated by the HPA.

As one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Maldives' capital Malé recorded a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the first weeks following the first confirmed local transmission on April 15. However, the number of recoveries recorded daily are now consistently higher than newly confirmed cases.

Maldives presently records a total of 2,035 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which 714 are active cases. The country records 1,311 recoveries and eight deaths.

WHO has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The new strain of novel coronavirus has infected over 7.9 million people and claimed over 435,600 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, 4.1 million people have recovered.

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