The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment on Monday stated that efforts were underway to provide food for over 700 families with special needs, in collaboration with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Speaking at a press conference held at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), Minister of Youth and Sports and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof revealed that the ministry had already provided food for half of these families.
Adding that collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services were ongoing, Mahloof stated that the ministry was also working with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to distribute dates donated by Saudi Arabia to more than 400 poor households across the capital region.
Mahloof revealed that the initiatives were rolled out with the least possible number of volunteers, in a move to reduce overall contact, although the ministry received over 500 applications for volunteers.
Following the first confirmed case of community spread on April 15, after which the capital city of Male' was placed under lockdown, Maldives has recorded a significant increase in COVID-19 cases.
There are currently 541 confirmed and 522 active cases of COVID-19 as well as 18 recoveries. The country recorded its first virus death, of an 83-year-old local female, on April 29.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The new strain of novel coronavirus has infected over 3.59 million people and claimed over 249,400 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 1.16 million people have recovered.