Guesthouses urged to adhere to govt. instructions over COVID-19

Guesthouse Association of Maldives (GAM), on Wednesday, urged local guesthouses to take precautionary measures in response to the global COVID-19 outbreak, and to strengthen cooperation with government authorities in its efforts to prevent an outbreak in Maldives.

GAM, in its statement, expressed appreciation over the measures put in place by the government to manage the crisis.

It also asked for government authorities to provide all forms of assistance required by guesthouses at such a critical time, including ascertaining that Tourism Ministry receives the daily data it requires from guesthouses, providing timely responses to emails sent to provide daily data, and timely responses from the hotline numbers set up to manage the crisis.

It has also urged guesthouse operators to initiate measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Maldives, and to adhere to, and implement the measures recommended by government authorities.

Guesthouses have been urged to provide daily updates on tourist arrivals and booking cancellations to Tourism Ministry, and to implement the measures set down in Health Protection Agency (HPA)’s standard operating protocol upon identification of symptoms of COVID-19 from any guest or staff member.

Maldives has identified six positive cases of COVID-19 – all from foreign nationals. Of the six people who have tested positive, four are foreign workers from Kuredu Island Resort and two are tourists from Sandies Bathala.