The government has barred the arrival of foreigners from China to the Maldives as a precautionary measure to prevent the fast-spreading coronavirus that's infected more than 8,200 people across the world is a global from reaching the archipelago.
Speaking at a press conference held at the President's Office on Sunday, Tourism Minister Ali Waheed said President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made the decision in order to ensure the safety of the public.
Under the new border control measures being implemented, the Maldives will restrict the entry of all persons, regardless of nationality, who have China as their port of embarkation or have transited through Mainland China, said the minister. These new measures will be effective from 0000hrs on 3rd February 2020, with the only exclusion being Maldivian citizens. Minister Waheed further the additional border control measures are being taken as a matter of precaution to public health and safety, and are temporary in nature.
While some countries have barred foreigners arriving from China from entering the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not recommended travel restrictions across boarders. It has stressed that the decision to declare “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” is not a no-confidence against China and has praised China for its prompt and stringent measures taken to combat the outbreak.
Last week, the government indefinitely suspended inbound flights arriving from China. In light of the suspension, the Chinese government have arranged chartered flights to assist thousands of Chinese tourists in the Maldives to return to their home country. China tops tourist arrival charts to the Maldives.
Nine Maldivian nationals were in Wuhan city of China, the epicenter of the epidemic where the virus was first detected. While seven out of the nine individuals have been evacuated to India, they will be brought to the Maldives after completing a 14-day quarantine in New Delhi.
Press conference held the president's office
