President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih says that he is saddened and concerned for neighboring India as they battle a new wave of Covid19.
In his first comments on the COVID-19 situation unfolding in India, President Solih said that the Maldives expresses its solidarity with the people of India.
President Solih further said that he was encouraged by the efforts undertaken by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian authorities to ease the situation.
His comments came as India recorded more than 200,000 deaths caused by the COVID-19 disease with the country now looking to survive a devastating second wave of the global pandemic.
Authorities in India recorded 3,293 deaths and 360,960 new cases in the past 24 hours as the country's underfunded healthcare system now fully overwhelmed.
World Health Organization WHO had said that a variant of COVID-19 feared to be contributing to a surge in coronavirus cases in India has been found in at least 17 countries.
Countries around the world have taken extra measures to stop the import of the 'Indian Variant' across their borders and this includes the Maldives.
Maldivian Authorities had started implementing these measures yesterday which require individuals traveling from India and arriving in the Maldives are required to produce a negative PCR test result from a sample obtained at least 96 hours prior to departure.
Authorities said that these include those who have received vaccine doses against the COVID-19 pandemic It also said those travelers who have transited in India for more than 24 hours should also present a negative PCR test upon arrival in the Maldives.
They also confirmed that Maldivian citizens and work visa holders are required to do a PCR test within 24hrs of arrival and undergo a mandatory quarantine of 10 days upon arrival in the Maldives.
