Health Emergency Operation Center (HEOC) has announced that wearing face masks are mandatory in all islands with COVID-19.

Speaking during a press conference by the HEOC, Health Ministry's Deputy Director General of Policy Planning and International Health Aishath Saamiya said that wearing face masks will be made mandatory in all islands with active cases.

She highlighted that there are ten islands with active cases besides Male' and that wearing masks will be mandatory in these islands. She also appealed that everyone should wear face masks regardless as a precautionary measure, due to the number of people who have traveled to the islands from the capital city.

She also added that a lot of requests have been coming in for people to return to their islands and that the highest priority is to control the spread of the disease in the islands. Hence only those who require essential services will be permitted to travel to their islands from this point forward.