Health Protection Agency (HPA) has revealed travellers to the Maldives are required to have a negative PCR test that was taken no more than 96 hours prior to their arrival, starting from May 3.
Previously, any traveller with a negative PCR test or work visa could enter the Maldives. However, Director General of Public Health Maimoona Aboobakuru signed off on strengthening restrictions due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the Maldives.
In a press release, HPA stated travellers to the Maldives as well as those who received vaccinations are required to have a negative PCR test that was taken no more than 96 hours prior to their arrival. HPA stated the Maldives Police Service will be enforcing the new rule, but children under one years old are exempt from the restrictions.
Maldives has reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases for the past week. Furthermore, due to the worsening health crisis in India, HPA has advised travellers from the neighboring country to avoid checking in at guesthouses and other places in inhabited islands.