Motion presented calling for ease in travel restrictions on resort workers

A motion has been presented to the Parliament calling for remedies to the difficulties facing resort workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including restrictions preventing them from visiting their families back home.

The motion was presented to the Parliament on Monday morning by Faresmaathoda MP Hussain Mohamed Latheef Ahmed – a parliamentarian from the main opposition party – Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

In his motion, Hussain wrote that workers in some of the resorts haven’t seen their families in months – resulting in great emotional pain to the workers and their families.

Hussain said that many of the resort workers have been confined in the resort islands where they work at for close to a year.

He said that workers in some of the resorts have been denied the opportunity to see their families, despite their home islands being located close by.

Hussain said that the greatest challenge facing resort workers is that they need to undergo 10 days of mandatory quarantine after travelling to their home islands. He said that some of the resorts count the 10 days as no-pay leave.

He said that it is of great concern to resort workers that “while an off day is mandatory each week, they cannot be combined, that there aren’t any places available for quarantine in some of the islands or they need to pay rent to find a place for quarantine, and because resort workers face great hardship even in visiting doctors.”

Hussain said that it is unfair that resort workers should be subjected to quarantine in residential islands while tourists are not. He alleged that tourists are roaming around residential islands without wearing masks, putting local communities at risk of COVID-19 outbreaks.

He said that resort workers are also concerned that tourists are allowed in resorts without masks, and lack of vaccination in resorts.

“I hereby present this motion calling on government and other relevant authorities to solve the issues facing resort workers, closely monitor the situation, and ascertain the rights of these workers,” said Hussain.

Hussain said that authorities have failed to address the issues facing resort workers, despite repeated compliants.