National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) on Friday evening announced that two patients have recovered from COVID-19, recording the first recovery in the country.

Heading the nation-wide broadcasted press conference, Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen disclosed that the recovered patients were the first isolated case of COVID-19 in the country. One of the patients, aged 70, was in intensive care suffering from severe pneumonia, which began alleviating during the fifth day of admittance at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

Authorities are preparing to discharge the two from the quarantine on Saturday.

Upon recovery or testing negative for the virus along with resolved symptoms, patients will be subject to further monitoring. They will be discharged following a double negative test according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. However, patients will undergo further home-isolation after they are discharged.

Maldives currently has 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19. No locals have tested positive for the virus as of yet. So far, only tourists and resort employees have confirmed infections.

The island national announced a state of public health emergency on March 12, under which the government has implemented several measures. This includes travel restrictions to and from resorts, and temporary suspension of tourist check-ins in guesthouses and hotels around the country.

In addition, Maldives has banned entry from China, Italy, Iran, Bangladesh, Spain, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and parts of South Korea, France and Germany.

The World Health Organization has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected more than 259,000 and claimed over 10,540 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 89,922 have recovered.