Joanna James
If you hope to travel to the Maldives this is what you will need to know to keep yourself and everyone else safe during the pandemic!
The Maldives has allowed tourist arrivals from all nations as of July 15, 2020. Visitors are only allowed to visit the private island resorts. As of now, there are no restrictions to visiting the capital Male or other inhabited islands. Hotels and guesthouses are open for tourists. However, do exercise caution if visiting there and adhere to all government regulations. Male has been the primary source of infections in the Maldives.
The good news is all travellers regardless of the country can visit the Maldives at present. You have to provide a negative PCR test to show to the authorities on entry. As of early this year, all the 330 Maldives Island Resorts have been open for international guests.
All passengers apart from Maldivian citizens must declare a negative PCR test conducted within 96 hours before departure from the home country or transit point. The test should show the address, the date, and the name of the lab where the test was conducted.
The result must be added to the Traveler Health Declaration form. It has to be uploaded online within 24 hours before landing in the Maldives. Guests have to download the contact tracking app, known as TraceEkee, which will be in use throughout the visit.
Visitors are allowed to break their stay between resorts. If you stay longer than 48 hours in the Greater Malé region, a new PCR test must be produced before proceeding to another resort or country.
Most resorts such as Naladhu Private Island Maldives will be there to help the guests with all these particulars as well.
The Maldives has listed a total of 78,356 cases of covid 19 infection and 222 deaths in the latest tally.
The country started its rollout of the COVISHIELD vaccine on February 1. Those working in the hospitality industry were among the first citizens to get immunised. So, the majority of all those who work in hospitality will have been given their doses of the vaccine. If this is a concern, you may inquire more into the regulations followed by the resorts before making any bookings.
The Maldives is trying to present itself as a tourist destination that offers a "normal" vacation. The isolation of most hotels and resorts means less exposure than other travel destinations as the majority of visitors rarely venture outside of their resort.
Tourists travelling from the airport and to the resort are exempt from quarantine procedures. Splitting the stay among two separate resorts is also allowed if the resort has adhered to meet the government regulations.
Expect your resort or guesthouse to have some regulations. These will most likely be daily temperature checks and mandatory masks while in public. As most items have to be exported to the Maldives, even basic stuff can get expensive. Bring along plenty of masks and hand sanitisers to limit unnecessary spending.
Get travel insurance that includes any COVID related health issues. If an emergency arises, the cost of transfers and medical supplies will be expensive.
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