Maldives mandates negative PCR tests on arrival from Sept 10

The Maldivian government will mandate all tourists and short-term visitors to present a negative COVID-19 test on arrival from September 10 onwards.

The Ministry of Tourism made the announcement on Tuesday night, stating that the PCR test must be conducted maximum 72 hours prior to departure to Maldives.

The development comes soon after Tourism Minister Dr Abdulla Mausoom confirmed that the government will mandate negative test certificates to allow entry into the country.

Speaking on a local television programme, he stated that although Maldives reopened borders with a set of very lenient guidelines, the safety measures will be strengthened to ensure the safety of all, including the staff working in the hospitality industry.

“That will also guarantee safety and protection for tourists visiting Maldives, which will be important for increasing our numbers”, he had said.

“In essence, Maldives is the best country to vacation safely from among global destinations”, he added, referring to the archipelago's unique geography and one-island-one-resort concept.

At present, tourists are permitted to enter the country without observing quarantine or presenting negative PCR certificates. They are only tested for the virus before departure from Maldives.

Maldives reopened its borders to international passengers on July 15, after nearly four months since the state halted issuing on-arrival visas on March 27.

Despite the lifting of restrictions, Maldives has noted a significant reduction in tourist arrivals compared to pre-COVID figures, with arrivals for July 2020 representing only 1.3 percent of those recorded in 2019.

Only about 7,000 tourists visited the country during the month of August. However, Dr Mausoom stated that the government is expecting an additional 100,000 tourist arrivals before year end.

In the best case scenario, the minister speculated that Maldives may see 500,000 tourist arrivals this year. This would be a higher number than the amount of tourists that visited Maldives in 2005, following the damages sustained in the tsunami that swept through the island nation in December, 2004.

As with numerous countries around the world, in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Maldives closed its air and sea borders to tourist arrivals on March 27, halting the issuance of on-arrival visas until July 15.

The restrictions on international travel left Maldives' heavily tourism reliant economy in an extremely vulnerable state. In mid-April, the World Bank projected that Maldives would be the worst-hit economy in the South Asian region due to the pandemic.

Overall, Maldives estimates a shortfall of approximately USD 450 million (MVR 6.9 billion) in foreign currency and a state deficit of MVR 13 billion in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the tourism industry.