Maldives Temporarily Stops Tourist Arrivals From Italy

06 March, 2020

Maldives had taken several preventive measures against the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19. The Minister of Tourism, Ali Waheed, and the Minister of Health, Abdulla Ameen, has held a Joint Press Conference today to announce that following deliberation on the rapidly escalating state of the global COVID-19 emergency, the Maldives will adopt additional border control measures as a supplementary safeguard.

Under the new measures being implemented, the Maldives will restrict the entry of all persons, regardless of nationality, who have Italy as their port of embarkation or have transited through Italy. These new measures will be effective from 0000hrs on 8th March 2020. Minister Waheed further stressed that these additional border control measures are being taken as a matter of precaution to public health and safety, and are temporary in nature.

No confirmed cases had been found in the Maldives.

The Government had previously taken border control measures by temporarily suspending all tourist arrivals from China, Iran and from parts of South Korea.

European countries are on high alert as COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across the region. Italy recorded the highest number of COVID-19 infections, followed by France and Germany.

The Maldives had earlier closed its borders to arrivals from mainland China, South Korea and Iran, whilst cruise ships had been banned from docking at any of the country’s ports. All direct flights to and from China had also been cancelled.

The island nation had installed thermal screening cameras at its international airports. Quarantine facilities, including designated islets from the 1,192 islands that make up the archipelago, had also been established.

The global coronavirus outbreak is expected to hit the Maldivian economy hard, as tourism contributes the bulk of the island nation’s state revenue and foreign reserves.

The government has already announced several cost cutting measures, including a freeze on the hiring of new staff and suspension of non-essential travel by state officials.