The Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen has confirmed at least three Maldivian locals were quarantined for the possibility of carrying the new strand of novel coronavirus pandemic.
Now officially dubbed the COVID19, was first discovered from Wuhan, China and has been spreading across nations of the South Asian region.
During a press briefing on Thursday, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) claimed their last screening was conducted not on the basis of suspicion but rather due to changes brought to the regulations on quarantining.
While HPA has confirmed a total of 3 locals were quarantined for the possibility of the presence of the viral strand, earlier on Thursday last week, Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed claimed two individuals were screened.
Minister Waheed explained the two individuals in question were quarantined since they had recently traveled to China. He also added both individuals were isolated for screening and kept at Farukolhufushi to ensure safety.
Moreover, Minister Waheed noted both individuals were not isolated for showing any symptoms of the disease but to ensure all possibilities and assure safety.
Meanwhile it has been reported that a total of 1,368 people have died due to the viral pandemic, which has been spreading at an alarming pace at China.
Recently, the Maldives government announced the island nation will be temporarily ceasing direct flights between China and Maldives. However, Chinese travelers visit Maldives via transit flights.
The viral pandemic is believed to present negatory effects on the island nation's economy; especially the tourism sector since the majority of the tourists originate from China.
