Health Protection Agency says those traveling from islands that are operating guesthouses must now quarantine themselves for the mandatory 14-days upon arrival at other inhabited islands.
HPA said this in the latest revision to the Home Quarantine Guidelines that determine the procedures and rules of home quarantine.
The Agency said those who travel to inhabited islands from resorts under operation as well as those under construction must also quarantine themselves for 14 days. It also said those who work in industrial islands must all stay under quarantine for 14 days before going back to work in inhabited islands across the country.
These changes come as the guesthouses in the country with exemption to those operating in the Male’ Area look to resume their businesses next month.
The Tourism Ministry had said that guesthouses in the islands can resume operations from 15th October onwards and can only reopen doors once the government issues a special permit.
It had said that the issuing of the permit will be based on consent from Island Councils with both the guesthouse and the council required to fulfill certain conditions before approval is given.
The island council is required to set up a COVID-19 taskforce along with an isolation and quarantine facility and also arrange transport to transfer a COVID-19 patient to a regional hospital. It should also ensure that the island has a flu clinic and that the health center has an isolation room too.
Tourism Minister Dr. Abdullah Mausoom had announced that the guesthouses in the Male’ Area would be allowed to resume operations once the daily COVID-19 case reported in the capital drops below 5 percent for two consecutive days.
