President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Sunday evening announced his decision to lift the state of public health emergency in force since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. After consulting with public health experts, the President made the announcement in a televised address to the nation, lifting the state of public health emergency declared two years ago on March 12, 2020.
Following the lifting of the public health emergency, President Solih said the Ministry of Health would announce the way forward, including measures to monitor and keep the spread of the coronavirus in check. The ministry would also draw up and implement a national strategy and action plan as part of its Covid-19 response.
President Solih also shed light on the socio-economic setbacks the Maldives has faced over the past two years. He attributed Maldives’ success in controlling the spread of the coronavirus to the general public’s and private parties’ full cooperation and support for the administration’s preventative measures.
The President estimated the Maldives’ economy incurred approximately MVR 71.3 billion in losses due to the pandemic. Emphasising that our international partners, global organisations and neighbouring countries played a pivotal role in the Maldives’ overcoming the situation, President Solih went on to express his profound gratitude for the concerted effort by everyone to alleviate the people’s burdens during this trying time.
