Foreign Ministry says Minister Abdullah Shahid was granted special permission by the Health Protection Agency HPA to take part in an official ceremony held yesterday while he is under home quarantine after returning from an informal trip abroad on Friday.
Minister Shahid had participated in the ceremony held to handover the USD 250 million financial assistance provided by the government of India on Sunday.
The ceremony was also attended by the CEO of the State Bank of India and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the High Commission of India in the Maldives.
Speaking to ‘The Press’ Foreign Ministry’s Communication Director Miuvaan Mohamed said that Minister Shahid was currently under 14-days home quarantine.
He said that the Minister had participated in the event after the HPA had granted him special permission as per the guidelines set by the Agency.
HPA had also confirmed that it had in fact granted Minister a special permit to take part in the high-profile event but did not clarify the nature of the permission.
This comes after the opposition PPM/PNC coalition aimed harsh criticism at the government for duplicity in implementing HPA guidelines set to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, the opposition said that it would not tolerate top government officials who disobey HPA guidelines set for the safety of all and voiced concern that the Minister had inevitably put many people in danger by taking part in the event.
