The Maldives government will be barring entry to those arriving at the archipelago from Italy.
Tourism Minister Ali Waheed at a press conference held Friday announced that those arriving in Maldives from Italy will not be allowed to enter the country as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 outbreak.
All direct and transit flights from Italy will be indefinitely suspended, and Italian tourists will not be allowed to enter the country starting 0000hrs on Saturday.
While over 100,000 people have been infected with the virus across the globe, over 4000 people were infected in Italy. Italy records the second-most number of deaths due to the virus, with a death toll of almost 200.
The government has also placed entry restrictions on those arriving from China, parts of South Korea. The restriction on those arriving from China was imposed on February 2, while a similar restriction on those arriving from Iran was placed on February 26. The decision to barr entry to tourists arriving from South Korean destinations was announced last week.
Additionally, all inbound flights arriving from China have been indefinitely suspended.
