Maldives to reopen borders on July 15

maldives will reopen its borders to tourists next month, President Ibrahim Solih was cited by local media as saying.

President Solih told a press conference in his office that Maldives’ borders and resorts will be reopened on July 15, while congregational prayers, school classes and dine-in at restaurants and cafes will also resume in the same month.

maldives has successfully contained the Covid-19 pandemic and has been cited as a safe destination by tourist markets in Germany and the UAE, he said.

Solih expressed hope that the reopening of the country’s tourism, which contributes 28 percent of GDP, will help the economy recover from a two-month lockdown which brought business to a standstillN

Maldives imposed restrictions on passengers coming from or transiting through Covid-19 affected countries in early marchN

On March 27, issuing of visas onarrival was haltedN

The Covid- 19 pandemic has been a challenge to the world, including developed countries, but maldives has been relatively successful in keeping confirmed cases below initial projections by health authorities, President Solih saidN

The country has maintained a high testing rate relative to its population and plans to increase testing facilities further, he added.

Solih thanked frontline health workers for their role in containing the pandemic and private resort operators for offering their properties to be used as isolation facilities and intensive care unitsN

Maldives has 2,217 confirmed cases of Covid-19, out of which 1,813 patients have made full recoveries and eight have died according to the Health Protection AgencyN The country has a recovery rate of 81.8 percent and a mortality rate of 0.4 percent.