Health Protection Agency (HPA) has enacted a new guideline for tourists arriving from India, prohibiting them from checking into guesthouses or other similar facilities established in inhabited islands.
The new guideline specifies the procedures to be followed by individuals travelling to the Maldives from India, due to the current situation of COVID-19 in the neighbouring country. As such, the guideline states tourists travelling from India to the Maldives will only be allowed to stay in resorts or city hotels which are isolated from residential areas. The rule also applies for tourists who have transited in India for more than 24 hours.
Meanwhile, HPA has mandated Maldivian citizens and work visa holders travelling to the Maldives from India to undergo home quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. They are also required to present a negative PCR test, conducted within 96 hours before arrival.
HPA has enforced special policies for travellers from India due to the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the neighbouring country. India has been reporting a daily average of over 300,000 new cases during the past week. The situation has led to rampant oxygen shortages and a sharp rise in COVID-19 deaths.