The government has allocated three more resorts as transit quarantine facilities for those who got stranded in the Greater Malé Region after arriving from outlying islands for a brief visit.

The Minister of Tourism, Ali Waheed made the reveal via Twitter, adding that the three resorts are located in Haa Dhaal, Meemu and Faafu atolls.

The minister noted that this is an important step, albeit the difficulties. He pushed the island residents to remain patient in the process.

Earlier, Waheed asserted that the delays facing the evacuation of these nationals is not due to a shortage of facilities, but because the government does not wish to risk the Covid-19 pandemic spreading into island communities.

On May 10, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) revealed that the government’s protocol to be followed in evacuating island residents stranded in the Greater Malé Region, has been amended.

Following the amendment, authorities halted the process of taking individuals into quarantine facilities in islands. Until a decision is reached, the authorities will be taking these individuals into transit quarantine facilities.

As such, these island residents will be quarantined at resort facilities in accordance with space availability and will only be allowed to return to their islands after completing a 14-day quarantine period and testing negative for the Covid-19 virus.

Since then, over 300 individuals have been taken to transit quarantine facilities.

Following the lockdown imposed across the Greater Malé Region on April 15 after the first community transmission was detected in the region, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) also banned travel between inhabited islands.

This was done in order to ensure the disease does not spread among the island communities. Due to these changes, several island residents stranded in the capital have been raising concern.