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This move comes in less than two months after the country reopened its borders to tourists. Although there was no requirement as such initially, COVID-19 test and quarantine rules have been made mandatory now.
The Maldives reopened its borders on July 15 after a hiatus of 110 days to contain the spread of Coronavirus. Earlier, travellers were able to enter the country as long as they were able to submit a health declaration form at least 24 hours before they arrived.
Strict measures are being introduced as the country witnessed a surge in Coronavirus cases.
Further, most resorts in the Maldives have their own island, thereby allowing authorities to let the individual resorts devise their own rules. As per the rules, all resorts need to have a trained medical professional in place, who is capable of collecting COVID-19 samples for testing; some islands also opted to test guests for COVID-19 in an effort to create Coronavirus-free bubbles. As of now, it is not yet unclear if these resorts will continue to test arriving guests now, given that virus-free certificates have been made mandatory for all travellers.
Although entry restrictions have been tightened, it is reported that people will now be allowed to split their holidays between two resorts, which was not allowed earlier.
