President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has extented the duration of the government office closure until June 15.
The President's Office announced all government offices in the Greater Male' Region are to remain closed as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of COVID-19. The President's Office stated that despite the temporary closure of offices and directive for employees to work from home, all essential services will continue without interruption by allowing the minimum number of required employees to attend their respective offices. A minister or head of an office or institution is tasked with authorising any exemptions, and government offices will be providing public services online.
The decision to close government officers was part of the restrictive measures put in place in response to the worsening COVID-19 situation in the Maldives in May, with the country announcing record numbers of cases and deaths.
At a press conference on June 8, President Solih also announced that the current restrictive measures in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 would be extended for another week. The president said the preventative measures enforced on May 26 had visibly helped to bring down case numbers but highlighted that the country has not yet reached a new normal. He said the restrictive measures currently in place will be extended for an additional week to ensure that COVID-19 cases continue to abate.
The measures and results would be reviewed at the end of this extension to determine whether or not to ease the restrictive measures or extend them further.