The government of Maldives has permitted guesthouses in the greater Malé region to begin operations from December 14.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Tourism, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom on Twitter, where he stated that PCR testing has been made mandatory, 72 hours prior to departure.

He expressed gratitude to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC), Health Protection Agency (HPA), HEOC’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) as well as the Ministry of Health for the support and cooperation extended.

Following the coronavirus outbreak, guesthouses across the Maldives were closed on March 17 and a few tourist establishments were given the green light to operate in the greater Malé region to accommodate transit passengers and flight crew.

It was revealed that guesthouses and tourist establishments across the epicenter, Malé region would remain closed due to spiraling Covid-19 cases.

Authorities earlier revealed that guesthouses in the region were to be given the green light to resume operations once the situation simmers down and the positive rate is maintained well below five percent for a 28-day period. With this being said, cases being reported of recent have been decreasing gradually.

The prerequisites outlined by the public health authorities must be met as guesthouse operations have commenced, in order to ensure the safety and security of both tourists and island communities.

The government earlier publicized guidelines to be followed upon reopening of guesthouses, after discussions with island councils, guesthouse owners as well as industry professionals. The guidelines include a number of restrictions, in light of which guesthouse operations will not be the same as before the global Covid-19 pandemic surfaced.

Under the guidelines, tourist guesthouses will not be allowed to operate in houses or buildings where locals reside, there must be a designated isolation location for mild positive cases among staff and tourists, away from local residents and there must be a designated place for quarantine of contacts among staff and tourists, away from locals as well. It was earlier established that guesthouses must facilitate quarantine and isolation locations in case the need arises.