Maldives now requires all tourists and other short-term visitors to provide certificate of negative pre-entry PCR test result for Covid-19.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) made this mandatory last week, and it came into effect on September 10.

Maldives Immigration said that the certificate must not have been issued more than 72 hours prior to departure to Maldives, counting from the first port of embarkation en route to the country.

The negative PCR result has to be submitted to Maldives Immigration via IMUGA (imuga.immigration.gov.mv), while filling the Traveler Health Declaration.

The PCR certificate must also include the name and address of the laboratory that preformed the testing, result of the test, date of testing as well as name and signature of the issuing officer.

Travelers exempt from the pre-arrival PCR test requirement are; Maldivian citizens, valid employment or work visa holders, holders of any other resident permit, flight crew arriving on general declaration and infants aged less than a year.

Immigration added that despite having a PCR negative test results, passengers could be subject to screening or any other surveillance measures at the points to entry.

The country’s first few Covid-19 cases were detected from resort islands, and there has been an increase in cases reported from resorts since the country reopened the tourism industry with the borders in July. As such, there are active cases in 21 resort islands currently.

The decision to make visitors present negative PCR tests comes after the decision to allow tourists to move from one resort to another to encourage longer stays. Further, guesthouses are set to reopen on October 15.

While guesthouses are located in residential islands, tourists are not allowed to travel to these islands yet.