High Commissioner of the Maldives to the UK Dr. Farah Faizal has stated there is no reason for the Maldives to remain on the UK's red list for travel.
In a tweet, the high commissioner showed the genome sequencing data of the Maldives and noted the country has a low number of positive COVID-19 cases and a high vaccine rate compared to most countries. Due to these reasons, she said the Maldives should no longer be on the UK's red list.
The UK has publicised a red, amber, and green list for travel to the UK from other countries. The UK government has stated individuals who have been in a country or territory on the red list in the last 10 days will only be allowed to enter the UK if they are a British or Irish National, or if they have residence rights in the UK. Travellers arriving from countries on the red list are also required to undergo a 10-day quarantine upon arrival.
A high number of tourist visits to the Maldives are from the UK and statistics show the country was one of the top five sources of tourist visits in 2019. The UK remains in the top 10 sources of tourist visits to the Maldives this year, with over 17,000 arrivals in the first eight months of 2021.