President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has announced new preventative measures in government offices and agencies to curb the recent rise in Covid-19 cases across the country. The President's Office disclosed the decision in a directive issued today.

As per the directive, government offices and agencies—on islands which the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has declared to have positive cases—are advised to minimize onsite human resources; encourage staff to work from home; and alternate in teams those attending work in-person.

The directive further instructs offices and agencies to close by 2 p.m., except for emergencies, and discourages staff from working past 4 p.m. It also urges authorities to exercise the use of online resources to ensure uninterrupted essential services whenever possible.

According to the directive, government offices and agencies must ensure that all staff strictly adhere to the rules and regulations established by the Civil Service Commission (CSC), under the guidance of HPA, to regulate sanitization, hygiene, and social distancing within the work environment.