MALE, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives government has banned locals from visiting tourist facilities in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19, local media reported here Tuesday.
The Ministry of Tourism has introduced new regulations which prohibits Maldivian nationals from visiting tourism facilities until further notice. The decision was taken in order to prevent the possible spread of imported COVID-19 cases to the local population.
Maldives re-opened its borders to foreigners on July 15, though tourists are only allowed to travel to resorts in uninhabited islands and must stay in a single facility for the duration of their stay. Tourists are not subject to mandatory tests unless they exhibit symptoms at the airport.
Workers at tourist facilities must undergo a 14 day quarantine period before travelling to inhabited islands, state media reported.
Maldives is currently experiencing a possible second wave of COVID-19 cases after lockdown restrictions were relaxed in the preceding months. A number of new cases have been imported since borders were re-opened for foreign tourists.
Maldives currently has 5,157 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of which 2,307 are active cases and 19 have died. Enditem
