Maldives Immigration Says Pandemic’s Staycation Destination To Ban Indian Travelers
Since the pandemic knocked on Indian shores, the love and affection towards our very own Mumbai Drive and Juhu Chowpatty is lost, and Mumbaikars have moved on from their very own Mumbai sunsets to Maldivian Sunsets and horizons. The Maldivian Islands have gained popularity and have been a significant tourist destination for many Indians this pandemic year. Tired from the ‘Stay Home & Stay Safe’ guideline, Indians conveniently changed the meaning of the guideline by staying safe near the Maldivian oceans. Many Indian Travelers visited the Island to get a break from lockdown.
Our Instagram feeds were filled with serene Sunsets, Calm blue oceans, and the beautiful landscapes of the Islands, with our own Bollywood, Stars enjoying their beach time and Bikini season at the Maldives Islands. Celebrities like Janhvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor & Alia Bhat are some of the adored Bollywood stars who were breaking the summer heat at the Maldives beaches during the lockdown in India. they were trolled and criticized by most netizens on Twitter and Instagram for posting pictures about their holiday instead of using their fame and following to create awareness about the spread of CoronaVirus and support the needy during such crucial and challenging times for the country.
The Maldives Immigration team announced a ban for international travelers from South Asian countries, which primarily includes Indian Travelers. The ban was indicated from 13th May 2021, as India has fallen victim to the second wave of the Coronavirus.
The statement from the Maldives Immigration that was posted on their Twitter handles is as follows, “Effective from May 13, 2021, entry is temporarily suspended for tourists originating from South Asian countries. This restriction also applies to the tourists transited in South Asian countries for the past 14 days. Following this precautionary measure, all categories of visa holders originating from South Asian countries (except healthcare professionals with a valid work permit) are temporarily restricted to enter Maldives until further notice.”
The Country’s capital, Male, is facing a rise in the number of cases, which has led the country to take strict and stringent measures for the traveling procedures in the country. The active cases in Maldives increased from 4,978 active cases to 11,629 cases by 11th May 2021. Even though countries like Maldives are dependent on tourism for livelihood, they have been forced to take precautionary measures.
The previous traveler policy for visiting these countries was quite lenient and manageable for travelers to have a staycation at these places, as they allow travelers to enter after a 14-day quarantine period. Due to which their travelers in the cases in the countries. For the government to take such measures will affect their business as of now, but other countries have taken this precautionary measure to control the spread of infection in their countries.
European countries such as the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States of America have issued a temporary ban on Indian Travelers as the country is going through a rampant rise in Covid Cases in the last few months.
Indian Government has been supportive of the decisions taken by the countries on the restrictions imposed on Indian Citizens. The High Commission of India in Maldives retweeted the statement issued by the Maldives Immigration, stating, “The temporary suspension of entry to the Maldives for all categories of visa holders from South Asia may impact flights between India & the Maldives. Indian tourists already in the Maldives may make necessary travel arrangements to return to India.”
The government of the Maldives Islands has announced a curfew which starts from 4 PM and is active until 4 AM, to curb the active cases in the country. Similar restrictions are imposed in Sri Lanka, where patients are on a high rise and need immediate attention of the government and health care system to control the spread of the virus. Thus until further notice blissful beaches of Maldives won’t be accessible to Indian beach lovers unless the authorities lift the restrictions
