Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail says in order to avoid a lockdown the country must take stronger measures against the COVID-19 pandemic as soon as possible.
In a tweet, Minister Fayyaz said that this includes fully complying with Health Protection Agency HPA guidelines by all business establishments and individuals.
Fayyaz had also said that the Economic Ministry will be stopping the inspections of business establishments for the time being. He said that however HPA together with Maldives Police Services will be taking action with respect to HPA guidelines.
He added that their inspections generally found the majority of these establishments adhering to HPA guidelines.
The Economic Ministry's call for more measures came as Health Minister Ahmed Naseem warned earlier today that the COVID-19 situation in the Greater Male' Area was close to being out of control and that the area is moving towards another lockdown to avoid further spread of the illness.
Minister Naseem had predicted that the daily COVID-19 numbers would surpass 200 today as it had reached 130 by the time he had woken up in the morning.
He warned that many are passing the illness off as a mild disease and are not heeding the call to take necessary precautionary action against the pandemic.
