The Health Emergency Operation Center (HEOC) has decided to amend the quarantine period for vaccinated individuals.
During a press conference held this morning by HEOC, HEOC’s Spokesperson Dr. Fathmath Nazla Rafeeq said the quarantine period for positive cases and direct contacts has been amended.
As per the new measures, vaccinated individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will need to quarantine for 10 days from the date of sample collection if no symptoms of illness are exhibited. Meanwhile, fully vaccinated individuals who are direct contacts can either undergo a 10-day quarantine and complete quarantine without a PCR test if no symptoms are exhibited, or they can complete a 5-day quarantine and provide a negative PCR test at the end of this period.
However, those in quarantine with a person who has tested positive will need to stay in quarantine for the remainder of the positive patient’s isolation. Moreover, unvaccinated individuals who test positive must remain in quarantine for 14 days and obtain a negative PCR result at the end of the quarantine period as usual.
As the Maldives gears up for the new academic year, Dr. Nazla said special measures will be imposed to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the Maldives without needing to close schools. The new measures include students and school staff who recently traveled abroad can only attend school after a PCR test took three to five days upon their arrival confirms that they are negative for COVID-19. The same applies to those who traveled to islands under HPA’s monitoring status.
COVID-19’s new variant, Omicron cases have been identified in the Maldives, with authorities imposing strict measures to minimize its spread. A negative PCR test is now mandatory to travel to the atolls and individuals who have not completed their vaccination will need to complete a 14-day quarantine upon arrival at their destination.
