Fully vaccinated tourists allowed to stay in Male’ guesthouses

Health Protection Agency (HPA) announced on Wednesday that only fully vaccinated tourists will be allowed to check-in to guesthouses in the greater Male’ region, given the Maldivian capital continues to be short of vaccination coverage targets.

HPA, in a new guideline released on Wednesday morning, announced that only fully vaccinated tourists who received their last vaccine dose at least 14 days before, will be allowed to check-in to guesthouses residential islands.

While tourists who aren’t fully vaccinated are prohibited from checking in to guesthouses in residential islands as a general rule, HPA, on Wednesday, announced that exemptions will be allowed if respective islands meet specific vaccination coverage targets. They are:

• 60 percent of the total 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

Unvaccinated tourists who travel to residential islands that meet the vaccination coverage targets are required to get a PCR test done seven days from the date of their check-in.

HPA stressed that the greater Male’ region does not meet the vaccination coverage targets, and that only fully vaccinated tourists will be allowed to stay in guesthouses in the region.