The Maldives has ruled out the closure of its border for tourism as the number of COVID-19 infections saw a spike in recent weeks. Tourism is the most crucial economic segment of the country.

According to a report in Sun, Maldives’s Tourism Minister Abdullah Massom said the situation didn’t require border closure. The COVID-19 isn’t an obstruction to tourism in the country, he said.

Last month, the country reported more than 2156 COVID-19 cases. While the number of active cases also increased close to 1800. Earlier, for much of the period, the country had managed to keep its active case count below 1000. This is the third infection wave that the country has been witnessing now.

Significantly, last year in July, the Maldives was among the first nations to open its border for tourism. “When tourism stops, everything stops in the Maldives,” Mausoom said last year.

Allaying the concern, he said international tourism organizations also believe that it can go on along with vaccination efforts. The Maldives also started the vaccination drive on Monday.

Furthermore, the border closure for the country would be devastating for its tourism-driven economy. By the end of 2020, it has managed to achieve its revised tourist-target. Around 70 percent of the state revenue comes from the tourism industry.

Earlier on Monday, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohammad Solih said the government planned to inoculate everyone living in the country within six months.