Health Protection Agency (HPA) has lifted several Covid restrictions including the mandatory PCR testing prior domestic travels. These restrictions were first introduced following the Omicron surge in January.
A signed statement by Director-General Maimoona Aboobakuru was released which stated that PCR testing will no longer be required while traveling domestically effective 23rd February 2022. Moreover, two more restrictions taken by HPA in the greater Male’ area were lifted.
In January HPA stated that events and ceremonies held with more than 50 people will no longer be permitted and events with less than 50 attendees will only be allowed if it adheres to the HPA guidelines as well as attending sporting events. However, these restrictions have now been lifted following the drop-in positivity rate.
The guidelines were imposed due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the country with a 5% increase in positive rate. The Maldives reached a record high in daily Covid-19 infections this year as the sample positivity rate reached 36% with 2,137 cases recorded on the same day.
The first Covid-19 fatality was reported in April 2020 and since then the death toll has reached 292. The country has been in a state of emergency for the past two years. The state of public health emergency was first declared in the Maldives on 12th March 2020 and since has been extended to expire on 28th February 2022.
To date, around 68.8% of the population has been fully vaccinated. Vaccination statistics further show that 40% of resort employees have received booster doses and 97.5% of employees are fully vaccinated.
