Health Protection Agency (HPA) has shortened the curfew hours in the Greater Male’ Region.
HPA issued an announcement on October 16, revealing the changes brought to the curfew hours, vehicle ban and operational hours of cafes and restaurants in Male’, Hulhumale’ and Villimale’. As such, HPA said effective from October 17, curfew has been set from 2300hrs to 0400hrs. HPA revealed the vehicle ban will also be imposed from 2300hrs to 0400hrs, starting from October 17. Meanwhile, cafes and restaurants have now been permitted to operate until 2230hrs.
On August 22, HPA imposed a curfew from 2200hrs until 0500hrs and a vehicle ban from 2000hrs until 0500hrs due to a second wave of COVID-19 cases in the capital. Cafes and restaurants were required to close by 2130hrs to allow staff to return home before the curfew.
HPA said the movement restrictions were imposed to limit social movements, noting the spread of COVID-19 was most prominent among socially active young people. On October 3, HPA eased the restrictions on vehicle movement allowing vehicles to be driven until 2200hrs.
The eased restrictions have come after the daily average of new COVID-19 cases dropped considerably compared to the numbers in August and September. The number of COVID-19 hospital admissions and the number of patients requiring ICU treatment have also decreased in the past few weeks.
Despite the eased restrictions, HPA has requested the public to continue observing safety precautions to mitigate the spread of the virus. As such, the agency noted restrictions on social gatherings and travelling are still in place.
Over 11,000 COVID-19 cases have been detected in the Maldives, including 1,123 active cases, 9,995 recoveries and 36 deaths. Apart from the Greater Male’ Region, there are active cases in 20 inhabited islands and 19 resorts.