Hanimaadhoo lawmaker asks govt. to announce exact date for border reopening

Hanimaadhoo lawmaker Abdul Gafoor Moosa, on Wednesday, called on the Maldivian government to announce the exact date for the reopening of the national airport as the country eases its coronavirus restrictions.

The Maldivian government has announced plans to reopen the country’s borders under new ‘safe tourism’ guidelines in July. But the exact date has yet to be announced.

At the parliamentary sitting on Wednesday morning, Abdul Gafoor praised the coronavirus measures imposed by the government, which he said had been effective in producing favorable outcomes.

Abdul Gafoor said that the health authorities were now fully confident in the ability to overcome the coronavirus pandemic, and that the Maldives must now look towards saving its economy.

“Honorable Speaker, in a nutshell, the damage to the Maldivian economy such that it threatens national security. We need to move quickly to revive the Maldivian economy. Honorable Speaker, it is only by doing this that we will have the means to fulfill the needs of our people. Honorable Speaker, the date for the reopening of the national airport, the international airport in Male’ must be announced. This is imperative,” he said.

Abdul Gafoor said that Maldives had many tourists waiting for it to reopen its borders, who can only make their travel plans once the country announces the date it will reopen its borders.

“Therefore, the date for the reopening of the international airport in Male’ must be announced immediately. Honorable Speaker, it is only by making this announcement that we can begin to revive our economy,” he said.

Abdul Gafoor said that tourist resorts were desperate to reopen, but can only resume operations once the borders reopen.

He said that the Parliament must do what was necessary to help the country overcome the economic crisis it now faces. He said he saw no way to avoid a collapse of the State other than for the Parliament to shoulder the responsibility alongside the government.

“If this situation continues to prevail, if Maldives has only MVR 200 million injected into the economy  monthly over the next six months, there is now hope for us,” said Abdul Gafoor.

Abdul Gafoor said that the health authorities were fully confident in their ability to manage the health crisis.

“Honorable Speaker, they have proven it. And they will continue to prove it. Honorable Speaker, they stand with great courage and are working to overcome this crisis,” he said.