Ministry of Tourism has stated 90% of all guesthouses in the Greater Male’ Region are expected to reopen by the end of December.
Guesthouses in the capital have been permitted to resume operations starting from December 14. Guesthouses are required to submit a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in compliance with the guidelines of Health Protection Agency (HPA), when seeking permission to reopen.
Speaking at a press conference, Senior Executive Director at the Ministry of Tourism Ali Razzan said the Male’ Region has a combined bed capacity of about 2,500, including 1,400 in Hulhumale’, 1,000 in Male’ and 100 in Villimale’. Noting several guesthouses have already submitted SOPs for approval, Razzan said the ministry expects about 90% of guesthouses in the region to resume operations by the end of this month.
Guesthouses in the Male’ Region were closed on March 13 as part of efforts to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Although guesthouses in the atolls were permitted to reopen on October 15, guesthouses in the Male’ Region remained closed due to the COVID-19 situation in the capital. However, some hotels and guesthouses in the Male’ Region have been operating as transit facilities since borders were reopened on July 15.