Education Ministry has announced today that schools in the Greater Male’ Area would continue with online classes and would remain closed for two additional weeks.

In a tweet, the Ministry said that in the light of the COVID-19 situation in the Greater Male’ Area and as per the recommendations from Health Protection Agency HPA and other relevant authorities, for the next two weeks from 20th September to 1st October schools in Male’ Area would only be holding online classes for all grades and would be closed.

The Ministry also said that it would reevaluate the decision in two weeks.

Education Ministry initially closed down the schools in the country back in March after the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the country. Since then it allowed students from grades 1 to 12 to go back to school in COVID-19 free islands and students from grades 9 to 12 to go back to schools in the Greater Male’ Area on July 15th.

But due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the capital city, the education ministry once again closed down schools in the Greater Male’ Area.

Although the number of COVID-19 cases reported daily in the country has dropped in the past two weeks, 99 individuals were tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday alone.

HPA had reported 392 COVID-19 cases in the last five days from the Male’ Area alone.