There will be no negative test requirement or mandatory quarantine for travellers without COVID-19 symptoms. Dreaming of swaying palms, warm azure waters and lazy days spent sipping cocktails from a coconut and dining on freshly caught seafood? Don’t worry, it won’t be long before you can visit The Maldives again. The gorgeous string of luxury island resorts are reopening from July.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced in an address to the nation yesterday that the Maldives will re-open its borders for all international tourists on 15th July 2020. Resorts, liveaboards and hotels located on uninhabited islands will be open from this date, while guest houses and hotels located on local islands will be open from 1st August 2020.
The Ministry of Tourism has released new guidelines for reopening, which provide standard procedures for the industry and as well as important information to tourists. Worth nothing is the fact that, according to the new guidelines, tourists are not required to pay an additional fee, produce a certificate or test result indicative of negative status for COVID-19 prior to entry into Maldives. For tourists without symptoms, there is no requirement for quarantine either. The guideline will be periodically reviewed based on further developments. Travellers are encouraged to stay up-to-date with official updates and review the full travel guidelines prior to their planned visit.
The Maldives has announced a phased reopening of its borders from July 2020. The islands suspended arrival visas soon after they recorded the first cases of COVID-19, imposing a lockdown across the Greater Male Area, when the first case of community transmission was recorded on April 15th. And now that the number of coronavirus cases have reached a more manageable rate, and the country has strengthened its precautionary safety measures, government travel restrictions are being eased.
The Maldives is a string of 1196 islands scattered across the ocean. The region is heavily reliant on the tourism sector, and the Maldives is famous for its unique one-island-one-resort concept. “The isolated nature of the islands provides visitors with an ideal opportunity to enjoy its beautiful surroundings safely and comfortably, and the Maldivian people look forward to welcoming visitors to our idyllic shores again in the near future,” said Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director of Maldives Tourism.
Everyone’s favourite island chain destination began easing COVID-19 travel restrictions on May 28th, around six weeks after the lockdown was imposed, and is now getting ready to welcome tourists back to its islands from July 2020.
The new Public Health Interventions to Prevent COVID-19 Transmission in the Tourism Sector guidelines have been established as a way to enforce the new normal and keep visitors safe. The new safety guidelines, and dedicated National Coronavirus Taskforce combines multi-agency participation, including input from The Health Protection Agency and the World Health Organisation.
Importantly, the Maldives Tourism industry has noted that the final version of their new safety guidelines will not impose new taxes or charges on visitors entering the country, once borders reopen, as a result of new safety measures. The Ministry stated that the country’s top priority is to ensure the safety of visitors.
To charge up your wanderlust and see what The Maldives has to offer for your first post-pandemic escape, see visitmaldives.com/en
