Unvaccinated tourists allowed conditional stay in Maldives’ guesthouses

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has made the decision to allow unvaccinated international tourists to check-in to guesthouses in residential islands in Maldives under specific conditions, starting next week.

HPA announced on Wednesday that children travelling with fully vaccinated tourists can check-in to guesthouses in residential islands, but that tourists who aren’t fully vaccinated will continue to be barred.

Tourists need to have proof of a negative PCR test taken 72 hours prior to departure when entering Maldives. And tourists who stay in guesthouses in residential islands need to have negative PCR test when they check-out from their guesthouse.

While tourists who aren’t fully vaccinated are prohibited from checking in to guesthouses in residential islands as a general rule, HPA, on Wednesday, granted specific conditions are met. The conditions are:

60 percent of the eligible population in the island must be fully vaccinated

95 percent of people in the island involved in providing services to tourists must be fully vaccinated

90 percent of people above the age of 65 years in the island must be vaccinated

HPA said that for people to be considered fully vaccinated, it must be at least 14 days after they received their second dose.

The change takes effect on Monday, July 26.