Maldives Travel Updates: Nepal, Pakistan restricts travel

The two Asian countries Nepal and Pakistan on Sunday, began implementing temporary travel restrictions.

The measures are intended to minimize the risk of further importing COVID-19 into the countries.

Regions included under the travel ban

- Mainland China: Effective February 4.

- Iran: Effective February 26.

- North Gyeongsang Province and South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea: Effective March 3.

- Italy: Effective March 8.

- Bangladesh: Effective from March 10 to March 24.

- Spain: Effective March 15.

- Île-de-France and Grand Est, France: Effective March 15.

- Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg, Germany: Effective March 15.

- Malaysia: Effective March 17.

- United Kingdom: Effective March 19.

- Sri Lanka: Effective March 21.

- Paki: Effective March 22.

- Nepal: Effective March 22 till March 31.

All passengers and crew with a travel history to a restricted region within a 14-day period will be denied entrance into or transit through Maldives. However, Maldivian nationals and their spouses will be permitted entrance, subject to quarantine protocols.

In addition, the government announced that all inbound passengers, with exception to tourists checking into resorts, will be placed under observation at a designated facility.

Persons travelling from countries listed above may enter Maldives if they have spent more than 14 days in transit at a country that is not under a travel ban.

Nevertheless, health experts and travel consultants strongly advise that people refrain from travelling between countries at this time, including returning to one's home country. A person is still likely to contract the disease during travel, at the country of travel origin or even at the airport, as exposure to other individuals would be higher.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Maldivians to register at an embassy prior to any international travel.

Maldives currently has 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 10 active cases. The country recorded its first two recoveries on Friday, and the third this Saturday. No Maldivians have tested positive for the virus as of yet. So far, only tourists and resort employees have confirmed infections with no local transmissions.

The World Health Organization has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected more than 308,400 and claimed over 13,000 lives around the world. Out of those infected, more than 95,800 have recovered.