Health Protection Agency (HPA) has revised its quarantine regulations, allowing direct contacts of COVID-19 cases to skip quarantine if they are fully vaccinated and are not showing any symptoms of the disease.
Previously, direct contacts of COVID-19 cases were required to undergo quarantine for 10 days regardless of their vaccination status or symptoms. However, as per the revised regulation, fully vaccinated direct contacts are not required to quarantine if they are not displaying any COVID-19 symptoms. Direct contacts with symptoms are required to undergo a PCR test and self-isolate until the result is confirmed.
The regulation further states direct contacts who live with COVID-19 positive cases must stay in quarantine until the end of the isolation period for the positive case. At the end of this period, the direct contact must undergo a PCR test. If the test comes out negative, the direct contact will be released from quarantine.
Furthermore, the new HPA regulation states a person is considered to be fully vaccinated if they have completed the initial two doses and one booster dose. The regulation also states at least 14 days must have passed since receiving the third / booster dose.
HPA is currently administering the COVID-19 vaccine booster dose to the general public. The booster shots are administered from the Pfizer vaccine doses donated to the Maldives through the COVAX Facility of the World Health Organisation (WHO).