Maldives shortens quarantine period to 10 days

Director General of Public Health, Maimoona Aboobakuru has made changes to the measures implemented in Maldives to control the spread of COVID-19, including shortening the quarantine period for travellers from 14 days to 10 days.

The changes were announced by Health Protection Agency (HPA) in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

According to HPA, the new quarantine period for inbound travellers to Maldives expect for tourists, travellers from Male’ to other residential islands, travellers from resorts to residential islands, and travellers from residential islands with operational guesthouses to other residential islands is 10 days.

They will undergo a COVID-19 PCR test upon completion of the quarantine period, and will be released from quarantine once the test comes back negative.

The changes are effective Friday, December 4.

Travellers who embarked on their journey prior to December 4 will continue to be subject to 14 days of quarantine.

HPA has stressed that the 10 day quarantine period is solely for travellers, and that COVID-19 patients and direct contacts will continue to be subject to 14 days of quarantine as before.

Additional changes to COVID-19 measures include mandating masks and the observation of physical distancing of 3 feet in residential islands and islands with operational resorts, and allowing workers who travel from Male’ to other islands with permission for short-term visits for the provision of essential services or for projects to travel if they have a negative COVID-19 PCR result taken within maximum 72 hours.