Bangladesh Navy ship starts for Maldives with aid to prevent coronavirus

A Bangladesh Navy ship started for the Maldives on Wednesday carrying more than 100 metric tons of food, medicines and medical equipment as assistance from Bangladesh to help the country to prevent coronavirus (COVID-19).

As per the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with the Bangladesh High Commission in Male, is facilitating the delivery of the materials to the Maldives, a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Recently, COVID-19 pandemic cases were detected in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Bangladesh Navy, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Directorate General of Drug Administration, relevant District Administration, and other concerned authorities of the Government as well as some Bangladeshi pharmaceutical companies have worked together to gather the assistance materials for Maldives in very short time, he said.

The move is being taken when Bangladesh itself is facing the challenge of fighting corona.

The Bangladesh Foreign Minister is in touch with his Maldivian counterpart and has reiterated Bangladesh’s solidarity with the Maldives in facing the threat of COVID-19 together, the spokesperson said.

Bangladesh has also pledged US$ 1.5 million to the COVID-19 Regional Fund proposed by India during the SAARC Leaders’ video conference held on 15 March 2020.

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