The government of Maldives has decided to subsidise the cost of water and electricity for the next two months in order to provide financial support to the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic, local media quoting Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer reported Friday.

The recent re-labeling of the novel coronavirus with xenophobic undertones by some U.S. politicians to stigmatize China has drawn widespread criticism.

Amid the widespread Covid-19 panic, the Bangalee community in Italy has so far managed to remain relatively safe with hardly any reported cases of COVID-19, the illness associated with the novel Coronavirus.