Seychelles re-opens slowly with strict measures in place

Seychelles is set to reopen the country to private jets and chartered flights starting from next week.

Public Health Commissioner of Seychelles, Jude Gedeon said that the tourist establishments where arrivals from these flights are to be accommodated will have to satisfy certain criteria and guidelines imposed by the health and tourism authorities of the country before the arrival of the visitors.

"The visitors will not be allowed to leave their resorts. Furthermore, it will be necessary for them to do a COVID test 48 hours before taking a flight to Seychelles. There would be a rapid test system in place at the airport as well that would allow the visitors to be tested again before commuting to their resorts. The commuting to their resorts will also be in a controlled manner," he said.

Commercial flights in the country are not expected to resume until July or August.

Health Commissioner Gedeon added that the health authorities have "talked to hoteliers on how to prepare themselves to adjust with this new normal."

Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, is free of COVID-19 as all 11 patients who once tested positive have fully recovered.

"We have conducted a lot of tests on people including the health workers and we have not detected any new positive cases. All 11 patients who were infected with the virus have been cured and have all gone home," he said.

Meanwhile, as part of prevention efforts at the airport, the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) has installed cameras that take one second to detect high temperatures at one meter away.

The authority's chief executive, Garry Albert, said that the purchase of such vital equipment is part of the airport's strategy in line with the public health guidelines to maintain high alert at all times during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Albert said that "remaining vigilant at the most popular and critical gateway in our country has always been vital, as we cannot compromise the safety of the traveling public, and the health of our nation."

Similar to Seychelles, Maldives is also expected to roll back some of the restrictive measures in place across the country due to COVID-19, starting from tomorrow. However, unlike Seychelles, the Maldives currently has 1200 active cases. Health authorities have stated that the virus was under control in the country and infection numbers have been observed decreasing in recent weeks.

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Source: Seychelles News Agency