The government has decided to grant operating permission to guesthouses in the Greater Male’ Region, starting from December 14.
In a tweet, Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom announced guesthouses located in Greater Male region will be permitted to resume operations on December 14. The minister thanked President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and health sector stakeholders for enabling the endeavor. He noted a 72-hour valid PCR test is required from tourists to stay at a guesthouse in the region.
The government had permitted the resumption of guesthouse operations in the atolls on October 15, 212 days after guesthouses were forced to close due to the spread of COVID-19 around the world. According to statistics of the tourism ministry, 125 guesthouses in 24 islands of 8 atolls are currently in operation. This represents a bed capacity of 2,476.
All guesthouses are required to fulfill the health and safety guidelines of Health Protection Agency (HPA) and obtain the approval of respective island councils before being allowed to resume operations.