Former VP Jihad placed under quarantine upon return from Thailand

Former Maldivian Vice President Abdulla Jihad has been moved to a quarantine facility upon return from Thailand.

Sun has been informed Jihad returned to Maldives following travel to Thailand on Saturday night, and was moved to Malahini Kuda Bandos – one of the resorts which has been repurposed as a quarantine facility – the same night.

He was placed under quarantine under the new order issued by Director General of Public Health, Maimoona Aboobakuru, on Saturday, to place all inbound air passengers to Maldives, with the exception of tourists who have made bookings at resorts, under 14-day quarantine at facilities designated by the government.

The move marked an increase in the government’s efforts to keep possible infected persons as far away from the general population as possible in order to reduce the risk of a local outbreak and maintain the hard-fought low virus numbers in Maldives.

Many travelers have been quarantined under this order.

11 tourist properties have now been offered up for use as quarantine facilities.

Tourism Minister Ali Waheed announced this Sunday that it constituted 1,158 rooms (2,288 beds).

The 11 tourist properties are:

• Vilivaru
• Malahini Kuda Bandos
• Biyadhoo Island Resort
• NAKAI Dhiggiri Resort
• Holiday Island Resort
• Hulhule’ Island Resort (HIH)
• VARU by Atmosphere
• Embudu Village
• Velidu Island Resort
• Dhiggiri Resort
• Royal Island

Ali Waheed told Sun that securing over 2,000 beds to quarantine patients was a remarkable accomplishment, and that he received overwhelming support from the tourism industry.

The Tourism Ministry has also assigned focal points to each resort quarantine facilities, and who can be contacted directly by families and loved ones of those in the facilities.

13 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maldives, all of whom are foreign nationals who were either working or vacationing in resorts or safaris. Of the 13 people, five were from Kuredu Island Resort, two from Sandies Bathala, two from Kuramathi Island Resort, two from Anantara Dhigu, and two from Island Safari-1.

Three have since recovered, but continue to be closely monitored at isolation facilities.