Editor’s Note – CNN Travel updates this article periodically. It was fully updated on December 30th.
(CNN) – If you are planning a trip to the Maldives, here’s what you will need to know and expect if you want to visit during the global coronavirus pandemic.
The basics
The Maldives reopened borders to all travelers on July 15th.
What is shown
This is a destination for couples to end all the others – luxury hotels located on private islands, with rooms jutting out over the water, just in case walking to the beach takes a lot of effort.
Who can go
All visitors can travel to the Maldives at the moment, as long as they test negative for Covid. Cruise ships are currently banned.
What are the limitations?
All arrivals other than Maldives citizens must present a certificate of a negative PCR test taken within 96 hours prior to departure, indicating the name and address of the laboratory, as well as the date of the sample taken.
Hotels are open and guesthouses reopened to international visitors on October 15th. Tourists are allowed to divide stays between hotels. However, if you spend more than 48 hours in the larger male area, you should have another PCR test done before moving elsewhere.
Since the new alternative was discovered in the UK in late December, all non-tourist arrivals from the UK, including transit passengers, have to be subject to a 10-day quarantine. However, this does not apply to tourists.
All passengers leaving the airport on arrival will undergo a medical examination.
What is the COVID-19 situation?
There were only 48 deaths in the Maldives, and a total of fewer than 14,000 cases as of December 30.
What can visitors expect?
The Maldives sells itself as a „normal“ vacation destination, thanks to the isolation of most hotels and the fact that the vast majority of visitors stay at the resort rather than venturing out.
This means that while locals are subject to the restrictions, those who go to and from the airport are exempt. Split stays between different hotels are allowed, if hotels meet government requirements. Split residency applications must be submitted 48 hours before travel to the Ministry of Tourism.
Also expect your resort to have some rules – especially checking the temperature on arrival and the masks to be worn indoors.
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Julia Buckley of CNN contributed to this report
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