President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that the spread of COVID-19 has been below the numbers projected initially due to the lockdown as advised by health experts.

Addressing the nation regarding the COVID-19 situation, President Solih said that works on identifying cases and their contacts have been strengthened.

Speaking on current case numbers, the President noted that since the virus first began spreading within the country over a month ago, 1186 people have tested positive for COVID-19. Of these, 420 individuals are Maldivian nationals, and 766 individuals are foreigners; of these, 91 individuals have fully recovered from the virus.

The President remarked that the virus had spread at a much slower rate than earlier statistical models had predicted. He noted that this has been the result of the Government implementing the recommendations of health experts, whom he praised for the many strides they have made in terms of treating the virus and tracing contacts.

The President acknowledged that the current ongoing restrictive measures taken by the Government in response to the virus, including imposing a full lock-down in the Greater Male’ Region, has caused many difficulties to both people and businesses.

The President stated that throughout this period, the Government has placed a high priority on alleviating their burdens.