Maldives government will be utilizing a total of 10 tourist resorts as quarantine facilities to screen and test for the COVID-19 virus cases.
The ten properties with a combined bed capacity of 2,285 and an estimated room total of 1,158 will be housing individuals who either become suspected with carrying the viral strand or shows similar symptoms.
Additionally, these venues will be used for isolated treatment for individuals who test positive for the novel coronavirus.
Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed, earlier had confirmed the local resorts will be transformed temporarily into such facilities with screening and testing equipment.
The tourist venues that have been transformed into quarantine facilities include:
- Hulhule' Island Hotel (HIH)
- Fun Island Resort
- Holiday Island Resort
- Royal Island Resort
- Malahini Kuda Bandos
- Varu by Atmosphere
- Emboodhoo Village
- Velidhoo Island Resort
- Dhiggiri Tourist Resort
- Biyaadhoo Island Resort
In addition to this, Maldives government is also using Vilivaru as a quarantine facility as well. The island was initially leased by the state to develop a tourist island resort.
Meanwhile, President's Office Under Secretary and official spokesperson of the COVID-19 developments in Maldives, Mr Mabrouk Abdul Azeez confirmed that the state will not incur rent on the properties.
He added these venues were given out on aid by its leaseholders to combat and control the viral pandemic.
The now globally rampant virus has pressed serious setbacks on the Maldivian economy, which is primarily dependent on the tourism sector.
The country's tourism industy is currently facing its lowest in recent history.
Maldives, that enjoys frequent and staggering arrival numbers from China, Germany, Italy and more recently even from India, have witnessed strong dwindle in arrival figures in 2020.
The arrival count is futher challenged as Maldives government in its efforts to control the viral disease had imposed travel and arrival restrictions on several countries which include; China, Italy, Bangladesh, two provinces of South Korea, Germany, Spain and two regions from France.
Though no official travel bans have been imposed on the neighboring India and Sri Lanka, the direct flights from their respective airlines have significantly decreased as the two countries were also currently battling rising figures in positive tested cases for COVID-19.
One of the major airlines with weekly direct flights to Maldives, Air India, had announced and commenced a decrease in its weekly fares while most of its operations have been idle.
Though India witnessed a staggering growth in its arrival numbers to Maldives in 2019, growing on average by 99% in monthly terms and registered a growth of 48% in the final quarter of the previous year; their arrivals have declined as the country was exercising strict travel restrictions as well.
Meanwhile the island nation's tourism industry observed a massive 22.8% drop in tourist arrivals for the first 10 days of March, compared with the corresponding period in 2019.
Additionally it was reported a total of 161,740 bed-nights were cancelled between 26 January and 12 March 2020.
Maldives President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in an earlier statement bemoaned the island nation's tourism industry may stand to observe an overall decline of 12 to 35% in its economic activity.
Economic experts and analysts further commented the island nation may experience an economic recession requiring significant recovery time, should the current trend continue for the months ahead.
