The Maldives has announced that visas for tourists from India and other nations in South Asia will be halted with effect from May 13 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In a post on Twitter, Maldives Immigration released a statement that said, “Temporary suspension for tourists and all other categories of visa holders originating from South Asian countries.”Entry to the Maldives will be suspended temporarily for tourists from South Asian countries and this applies to all categories of visa holders.“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 statement reads.
The island nation has been a major attraction for celebrities and commoners alike from India and was among the very few destinations that was open to Indian tourists. India has been the second largest source market for Maldives this year accounting for 21 per cent of all arrivals. The islands have received over 400,000 tourists since start of January. Russia has been the biggest source market followed by India, Ukraine, Germany and Kazakhstan. Last month the Maldives government imposed curbs on Indian visitors by banning their entry on populated islands. However Indians could still visit the resorts. The second wave of pandemic however led to drop of traffic from India resulting in flight cancellations by Indian carriers. India's Covid tally reaches 2,33,40,938 with 3,48,421 fresh cases reported in the last 24 hours. At 4,205, India records its highest Covid deaths taking the death toll to 2,54,197. The active cases have reduced to 37,04,099 comprising 15.87 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has improved to 83.04 per cent.