The Maldives has withdrawn the mandatory quarantine norm for vaccinated workers from South Asian countries after evaluating the Covid-19 situation in the region. However, unvaccinated workers would still have to go through two weeks quarantine.

The move came after the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the country’s leading body managing the Covid-19 crisis, undertook a review of the situation in the region. Under previous guidelines, work visa holders from South Asian countries were required to go through institutional quarantine for two weeks. 

Employers and local hiring agents have now been asked to pay for quarantine facilities for unvaccinated workers; earlier it was being paid by the government. Also, upon completion of the quarantine period, workers would be required to present a negative RT-PCR report. 

Amid the growing threat of the Omicron variant, authorities are currently reviewing the guidelines. For the Maldives, which relies mainly on its tourism economy, keeping the caseload as low as possible becomes even more important. 

In March last year, when the pandemic first began, it virtual shut down the country’s economy as the tourism industry came to a sudden halt. However, after almost 20 months, the country’s tourism industry is on the verge of catching up to its pre-pandemic level. The new variant poses a great danger to the archipelago’s hard-earned recovery. 

Recently, the Maldives was crowned “World’s Leading Destination”—for the second consecutive year—at the World Travel Awards. Next year, the country will mark its golden jubilee of its tourism industry.