COVID-19 pandemic in the Maldives

COVID-19 pandemic in Maldives
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationMaldives
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China, via Italy
Index caseKuredu Resort & Spa
Arrival date7 March 2020
(5 years, 4 months, 4 weeks and 2 days)
Confirmed cases186,694[1]
Recovered186,371 (updated 23 July 2023) [2]
Deaths
316[1]
Fatality rate0.17%
Government website
covid19.health.gov.mv/en

The COVID-19 pandemic in Maldives was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have spread to Maldives on 7 March 2020 from a 69-year-old Italian tourist who had returned to Italy after spending holidays in Kuredu Resort & Spa.[3][4] The Health Protection Agency of Maldives confirmed two cases in Maldives, both employees of the resort. Following this, the hotel was locked down with several tourists stranded on the island.[5] As of 11 March, the resorts of Kuredu, Vilamendhoo, Batalaa, and Kuramathi island were also placed under temporary quarantine. Schools were closed as a precaution.[6]

Cases in the country spiked after a cluster emerged in the country's migrant worker community's dense living quarters, mostly composed of Bangladeshi, Indian, and Nepali migrant workers in May 2020.[7] 2,420 foreigners have tested positive in the country with 1,857 Bangladeshi migrant workers have tested positive for the virus.[8] The Maldivian government plans to relocate 3,000 Bangladeshi foreign workers to other islands in order to enable social distancing.[9]

As of May 24, 2021, Maldives had the world's fastest-growing COVID-19 epidemic, with the highest number of infections per million people over the prior 7 and 14 days, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

  1. ^ a b Mathieu, Edouard; Ritchie, Hannah; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Hasell, Joe; Macdonald, Bobbie; Dattani, Saloni; Beltekian, Diana; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Roser, Max (2020–2024). "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Our World in Data. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Maldives COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer".
  3. ^ "Maldives confirms first two coronavirus cases; two resort islands locked down". The Economic Times. 8 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  4. ^ Hussain, Moosa (7 June 2020). "Management of the first severe case of COVID-19 in the small islands of Maldives". Respiratory Medicine Case Reports. 30: 101118. doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2020.101118. PMC 7276129. PMID 32550127.
  5. ^ Tamara Hardingham-Gill. "Tourists being kept under coronavirus quarantine at luxury Maldives resort". CNN. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Coronavirus: Four Maldives resorts placed in lockdown". TTG. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Maldives Sees Rapid Spike in COVID-19 Patients". Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  8. ^ "COVID-19 should be a wake up call to Maldives to treat its migrant workers better". 12 May 2020. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Samples collected from migrant workers living in 30". Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
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