Minister of Defence Mariya Ahmed Didi revealed on Friday that the seven Maldivians who were evacuated from Wuhan City in China, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, tested negative for the disease.
In an interview given to Indian media WION during an official trip to India, Minister Mariya stated that their quarantine period will be over soon and expressed hope that the seven individuals will travel to Maldives in the near future.
She also stated that one minor is being kept in isolation, adding that India is taking good care of everyone under quarantine.
The special task force created to tackle the novel coronavirus outbreak also confirmed that all the Maldivians evacuated from Wuhan tested negative for the virus, but stated that they will all complete the 14-day quarantine period.
A total of nine Maldivians were residing in Wuhan as the virus outbreak gained momentum in January. However, only seven of them requested to be transported to Maldives.
The Maldivian government airlifted the seven locals out of Wuhan with Indian aid. The locals were flown to New Delhi along with the Indians in Wuhan City and quarantined at an isolation facility in an Indian military base.
So far, no cases of the virus have been detected in Maldives, although seven individuals who travelled from China were quarantined and tested. Currently, only two are placed in isolation facilities as a precaution for arriving from China. However, the government stated on Thursday that neither of the individuals exhibits any symptoms of the disease.
The new strain of coronavirus that originated in Wuhan City in late 2019 has now claimed more than 600 lives and infected over 30,000.