Health Protection Agency (HPA) has announced a travel ban between all resorts and local islands.
The measures were taken following the State of Public Health Emergency declared in Maldives for a period of 30 days, as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, HPA announced 3 measures to be made effective from March 18 for a period of 10-days.
The measures include travel restrictions from resorts to local islands, travel restrictions from local islands to resorts and travel restrictions between resorts. However, HPA did not place a travel ban for staff traveling to Velana International Airport (VIA) to depart tourists. HPA further instructed staff travelling to airports to directly return back to the resorts, adding resorts are instructed to record all travel details.
HPA additionally stated staff exporting goods from vessels to resorts are only permitted to stay at the jetty and will not be permitted to enter the resorts. The agency added any staff entering a resort will not be allowed to leave until further notice.
Moreover, HPA stated the measures were undertaken in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Maldives.