Travelers to Maldives once again required to present negative PCR test!

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has amended the policy regarding foreigners who enter the Maldives from abroad so that they are required to once again present a negative PCR test of 96 hours. 

The amendments come on the back of a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Maldives with more than 450 cases confirmed tonight alone.

The HPA made an announcement tonight signed by the Director-General of Public Health Maimoona Aboobakuru, that from May 3 onwards, tourists as well as all travelers to the Maldives, even if they have completed both doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, are required to present a 96-hour negative PCR test. The order exempts children below the age of 1. 

The order is to be kept in place until further notice by the health authorities in the nation. 

The HPA had announced previously that tourists would no longer be required to present the PCR tests if they had completed both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine after April 20.

Later on, the agency stated that, due to the worsening situation in India with the virus, the rules would be amended so that Indian tourists were required to present the negative tests. The authorities also restricted Indian tourists from staying at local guesthouses and hotels as well.