Maldives declares state of emergency over coronavirus

Maldivian Health Minister Abdulla Ameen has declared a month-long state of emergency effective Thursday amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the country's Health Protection Agency announced.

"By the discretionary powers vested in the Minister of Health by Section 33 of the 7/2012 Public Health Act, the Minister has declared a State of Public Health Emergency for 30 days from March 12, 2020," the agency said on Twitter.

The Maldives reported their first two COVID-19 cases on March 7 in employees of a luxury resort who supposedly contracted the virus from an Italian tourist. Since then, several of the islands' high-end resorts closed on quarantine. According to Maldivian media, the number of cases currently counts eight.