Ministry of Tourism has announced it will be conducting inspections on tourism establishments to check whether the health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are followed in such places.
The ministry stated the inspections will be focused on tourism services in inhabited islands due to the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Maldives. Inspectors will be checking whether employees at guesthouses and other tourism establishments are adhering to the guidelines on preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The ministry stated inspections will be conducted randomly at guesthouses and city hotels from May 12. Inspections in the Greater Male' Region will be conducted by the Ministry of Tourism, while inspections in the atolls will be conducted by the local island councils together with the COVID-19 taskforces.
At a press conference held by the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC), Spokesperson at the President's Office Mohamed Mabrook Azeez said the government will be taking steps to improve tourism establishments that are not adhering to the COVID-19-related health guidelines. The spokesperson said the government is also inspecting food service outlets and shops, and have so far ordered 15 outlets to improve their adherence to the guidelines issued by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Outlets that are caught violating HPA guidelines are to be fined between USD 325 to USD 5,000 depending on their failure to improve health standards.