Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom has stated the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the Greater Male’ Region threatens the operations of guesthouses in the region.
Speaking to PSM News, Tourism Minister Dr. Mausoom said most tourist facilities in the Maldives are following the guidelines set to operate the facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The minister noted although the number of cases reported in the Maldives has started to rise sharply, the positivity rate among tourists still remains at 0.22% which is a healthy rate. However, he said the sharp increase in cases in the Greater Male’ Region threatens to halt the operations of guesthouses in the region, noting guesthouses in the capital were the last to receive permission to resume operations and had just begun to welcome tourists.
The tourism minister expressed hope the COVID-19 numbers can be brought under control once again with strong compliance to Health Protection Agency (HPA)’s guidelines. He noted the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine is also an encouraging development for the efforts to contain the virus.
Maldives reopened its borders for tourists on July 15 last year, more than three months after borders were closed due to COVID-19. Only resorts and liveaboards were initially permitted to resume operations upon reopening of borders.
The government decided to allow guesthouses in the atolls to reopen in October. Guesthouses in the Greater Male’ Region were permitted to reopen in December.
All tourist facilities are permitted to reopen upon submitting a Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) prepared in accordance to the guidelines of the Ministry of Tourism and Health Protection Agency (HPA). The tourism ministry said the increase in tourist arrivals in the Maldives can be attributed to the strong safety measures implemented in tourist facilities against the spread of COVID-19.