Undocumented foreign workers, fearing legal repercussions and possible deportation, refuse to divulge personal details with the Maldivian authorities, who are tracking the spread of COVID-19 in the island nation
New Delhi: The Maldivian government is reportedly facing a major issue involving the testing of around 800 foreign workers in the island nation over possible contraction and spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The issue surfaced after 21 new cases were registered in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 250 in the country. The Maldivian government’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) reported that 7,623 tests have been conducted so far, of which, 250 were positive and 6,286 were negative, while the results for 1,087 were pending.
According to senior officials of the HPA, the department since last week has been encountering challenges when it came to source information from undocumented expatriate workers still residing in various parts of the Maldives.
The problem came to the fore when health workers and medical teams started conducting sweeping tests to identify contacts of those individuals who had already tested positive for contracting the COVID-19 infection.
“Many foreign workers were the primary contacts of the COVID-19 patients currently recuperating in various hospitals. We documented their whereabouts and started investigations. However, when the teams (medical) started asking them questions, they immediately denied having met the specific person. They even denied having gone to a certain location,” said a source from the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) in Male.
He added that these expatriates even refrained from giving personal information – including citizenship, and travel details, which are vital shreds of evidence to track the possibility of further spread of the pandemic.
A presser quoted NEOC’s Dr. Ibrahim Afzal, Medical Officer saying, expatriate workers are at high risk of contracting the disease, and that authorities are facing difficulties in obtaining information from undocumented expatriates. These foreigners are hesitant to provide information due to their (undocumented) status in the Maldives.
“They fear the legal cases against them and deportation. Thus, they refuse to cooperate. However, we are documenting every one of them. It will be wrong to comment on their nationality based on external appearances and features,” an officer with the NEOC said.
The Maldivian authorities have initiated special efforts to educate expatriates on the importance of giving accurate information, and immediately reporting any symptoms of COVID-19.
Authorities are also monitoring overcrowded accommodation facilities for over 800 expatriates which could turn into major hotspots for COVID-19 infections. The HPA is collecting samples from these facilities to ensure if the virus has already been contracted by those residing and attending the facilities.
