UNICEF delivers critical supplies to support COVID-19 response in the Maldives

UNICEF has delivered critical Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) supplies to the Government of Maldives to support ongoing national efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the effects of the pandemic on the national economy and the lives of the people, the response efforts are diversified, however, it is pertinent that the protection of health workers and front line workers is ensured by supplying them with PPE as they risk their lives every day to continue collecting samples and working with people who are infected. The supplies handed over consists of 150,690 items worth 7.1 million Maldivian Rufiyaa, includes: 

1. Surgical masks 

2. N95 masks 

3. Body bags (infection control) 

4. Face shields (fog-resistant) 

5. Protective goggles 

6. Surgical gowns 

7. Clinical thermometers 

8. Hand sanitizers 

9. Hand soap 

More than four months into the emergency response, UNICEF’s support has been flexible and coordinated to meet the requirements of the partners due to the rapid-changing nature of the pandemic. UNICEF’s support to the Government in its response to the COVID-19 emergency includes: 

• Continuation of learning via distance learning and the safe reopening of schools 
• Continuation of essential health services for children and women including immunization, growth monitoring, and ANC 
• Strengthening and expansion of mental health and psychosocial support services 
• Enhancing the technical support to build the capacity of national social worker force responding to cases involving children and adolescents 
• Technical and financial support to provide timely social protection 
• Strengthening risk communication and community engagement to provide life-saving information and influencing positive behaviours 

The consequences and impact of COVID-19 go far beyond the initially anticipated public health risks associated with a pandemic, and from what is observed globally and in the Maldives, concerns around lack of access to food, unemployment and limited access to essential services would leave a heavy toll on the positive gains the country has achieved over the decades, especially for children. 

Notes to editors

UNICEF’s COVID-19 preparedness and response strategy aims to reduce human-to-human transmission in affected countries and mitigate the impact of the pandemic on children, youth and their care providers, especially for the most vulnerable. UNICEF’s strategy is in line with the WHO COVID-19 strategic preparedness and response plan and the Inter- Agency Standing Committee (IASC) global humanitarian response plan led by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).