MALE, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives parliament building has been temporarily closed after a staffer tested positive for COVID-19, local media reported here Wednesday.

Local media quoting the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said that the parliament building in capital Male would be placed under observation after a maintenance department employee who last visited the building on Monday tested positive for COVID-19.

The building will be reopened after full disinfection and contact tracing is complete, reports said.

Maldives started to conduct parliamentary sittings through an online video conferencing platform in late March. Physical sittings resumed in late May as restrictions eased amid a reduction in confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Anti-pandemic restrictions outside the Greater Male region have been completely lifted and travel between islands is now allowed. Mild restrictions continue in Greater Male, including a curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time.

Maldives has 2,094 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of which 1,670 have made full recoveries and eight have died.