Maldivian Government Softens Travel Restrictions for Resorts, Liveaboards

12 April, 2020

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has amended the policy on entry and exit from resorts and liveaboards, lifting the requirement to seek an exit application from all individual staff before allowing them to exit the resort or safari. The employees can now leave the tourist establishment as resorts and vessels approach the end of their 14-day quarantine period.

The new policy published by HPA states travelling between resorts and other islands can be opened 14 days after the departure of the last tourist if no employees show any symptoms of COVID-19 within that period. However, the resort management is required to provide evidence of the 14-day quarantine period to HPA before allowing staff to leave.

The policy also allows the staff of resorts and safaris which had been placed under monitoring to leave after the 14-day quarantine period, if the samples taken from the resort or safari tested negative for COVID-19. However, no staff will be allowed to leave while any individual at the resort or safari is presenting any symptoms.

The policy on entry and exit from resorts places resorts under three main categories:

– Resorts and safaris with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

– Resorts and safaris with no suspected cases, negative or otherwise.

– Resorts and safaris placed under monitoring with suspected cases tested negative.

Employees from resorts and safaris bearing a confirmed infection will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine period in addition to conducting tests before being granted authorization to leave.

Employees at resorts or vessels that fall under the two remaining categories may disembark from the island or vessel following completion of the mandatory 14-day quarantine, post-departure of their final guest.

This week, Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed has revealed that there are nearly 1,000 tourists stranded across 27 resorts in Maldives due to the COVID-19 pandemic.