Maldives this week: 9 - 15 January 2022

On 15 January, the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure announced that it has entered into a settlement agreement with Tata, under which the company will develop the housing units as agreed under the 2010 agreement, and that the government will allocated land in Lh. Lhossafushi to the company to develop luxury villas, for which it will pay USD9 million to the government. In return, the company will drop the arbitration case it had filed. 

On 15 January, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih appealed to all in the Maldives to obtain the COVID-19 booster dose. 

On 14 January, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) reported 967 new cases, increasing the number of cases reported to 101,418. There are 7,505 active cases in the country. 

On 13 January, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued its Human Rights Report for 2022, where it noted that Maldivian authorities have failed to address human rights abuses in the country, including the rights of migrant workers, and obstructing the right to freedom of assembly. 

On 13 January, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) announced that COVID-19 vaccine booster doses will be available for all eligible, from 15 January onwards. 

On 13 January, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) announced that asymptomatic COVID-19 patients will now be required to undergo a seven day quarantine instead of the earlier 14 days. Symptomatic patients are required to quarantine until their symptoms pass and will be released 24 hours after their symptoms cease. 

On 12 January, Transparency Maldives called on the government to stop abuse of state resources and uphold election integrity. The call came amidst the announcement of projects by the government in the Komandoo constituency in the lead up to the constituency's parliament by-election. 

On 12 January, Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail said the government is conducting a government-wide discussion on implementing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed with China. 

On 11 January, the Elections Commission announced that four political parties, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), the Jumhooree Party (JP) and the Adhaalath Party (AP) are eligible to receive budget funding in 2022. 

On 11 January, Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives Munu Mahawar paid a courtesy call on Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid. 

On 11 January, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced his decision to seek parliament's approval for the Maldives to join the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).  

On 10 January, the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure announced its decision to allocate two plots of land in Male as well as an island to develop as a resort, to India's Tata Group, as settlement for the Tata housing arbitration case. 

On 9 January, the Election Commission said that there was a lack of interest from women candidates in contesting for the Women's Development Committees (WDCs) required under the Decentralisation Act and that it was commencing a study to ascertain the challenges and barriers. 

On 9 January, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) announced additional measures to control the spread of COVID-19, including restrictions on gatherings of more than 50 people, prohibition on street markets, not allowing spectators in to sports events, and requiring PCR tests for travel outside Male for those vaccinated, and a 14-day quarantine for those who have not completed their vaccine doses. 

On 9 December the Ministry of Economic Development issued a regulation on categorising micro, small and medium enterprises. Micro enterprises are defined with employees between 0 and 5, with an annual income below MVR500,000, small enterprises as ones with between 6 to 30 employees and incomes below MVR5 million, and medium as those with between 31 and 100 employees and incomes up to MVR20 million.