The Maldives called India a ‘true friend in need’ after New Delhi announced to assist the island nation with essential medicines and medical relief team in the wake of coronavirus. Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid took to Twitter to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for continued assistance.

With its generous assistance and solidarity at this challenging time taking on the #Covid19 pandemic, #India has once again proved itself to be a true 'friend in need' of the Maldives.

Thank you PM @narendramodi EM @DrSJaishankar and the Govt. of India for continued assistance. https://t.co/nurF5zvFi1 — Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) March 12, 2020

The Indian High Commission in Malé said in a statement, on March 12, that India has decided to send a large medical relief team to assist health authorities of the Maldives to deal with the evolving situation of the novel coronavirus. The relief team will comprise of pulmonologists, anaesthetists, physicians and lab technicians who will work closely with their Maldivian counterparts.

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'Neighbourhood First'

Government of India has also decided to gift essential medicines, despite a temporary ban on exports, to deal with the deadly virus in the next few days. The Indian Embassy said that the humanitarian gestures are a concrete example of India’s “neighbourhood first” and the Maldives “India First” policy in action.

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On March 11, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus as pandemic which has forced governments to take drastic measures to contain the disease. Speaking at a press briefing, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern about alarming levels of spread and severity and alarming levels of inaction.

“We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic,” said Ghebreyesus.

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