After a man who was sent to Faafu Atoll NIlandhoo for a survey tested positive for COVID-19, 30 people who came in contact with him have been quarantined.

Vice President of the Nilandhoo Island Council, Ali Mohamed told One Online yesterday that four were sent by the Ministry of Environment and Energy to do a survey of the Island’s waste disposal site arrived on the island last Thursday.

And when the group returned to the capital on Sunday, one of them tested positive for COVID-19. Councilman Ali Mohamed said that the person was tested positive on Sunday but the Health Protection Agency (HPA) informed the island council yesterday.

While a contact tracing is underway quarantining everyone that has come in contact with the person, Health Emergency Operation Center (HEOC) said that so far, 30 people from ten houses have been quarantined in Nilandhoo. However, the island is not under a monitoring status.

HEOC said that islands are put under monitoring when the contact tracing has to go to the next level and if there is a suspected local spread of COVID-19.

Under the previous HPA guidelines, government employees can travel without quarantining with a special permit.

But with the spike in cases, changes have been made to the regulations so that every person traveling have to quarantine for 14 days and traveling without quarantining is a violation.