Speaker of the Parliament and Former President Mohamed Nasheed has questioned why the Maldives was not included in Europe’s Safe Travel List despite the country reopening its borders last month.
Speaker at today’s parliamentary session where the MP’s questioned Health Minister Abdullah Ameen, Nasheed said that all were working to make the Maldives a safe country to travel and as the country is mostly dependent on its tourism sector, it is imperative to identify why the Maldives was left out of the Safe Travel List.
Expressing his disbelief, Speaker said that because the Maldives was absent from Europe’s Safe Travel list, tourists from European countries has to quarantine themselves when they return back home after holidaying in the Maldives.
Nasheed urged the Minister to ponder on that situation and questioned what more the country can do to be included in the list.
The Maldives reopened its borders on the 15th of July after closing it earlier this year due to the COVID-19.
Maldives Immigration had said that a total of 1769 tourists had arrived in the Maldives in July and that the 6 European destinations include in the list of top ten arrivals by nationality.
However, since the border reopened COVID-19 cases have been reported from 9 resorts with 6 tourists and 10 staff currently infected with the illness.
