Maldives implements mandatory quarantine for arrivals from Britain

The Maldives has made it mandatory for all workers arriving from Britain to undergo home quarantine for 10 days, local media reported on Monday.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) made the decision in order to protect the island country from a new and more contagious strain of COVID-19 identified in Britain.

Quarantine will also be mandatory for individuals who have visited Britain 14 days prior to arrival or transited in the country for more than 12 hours.

British arrivals will be required to present a negative PCR test 96 hours before arrival and will be subject to two more PCR tests during the quarantine.

Spokesperson of the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) Nazla Rafeeq said the government is studying the risk of new COVID-19 strains and measures to stop its spread.

The country has reported 13,644 cases of COVID-19 and 48 deaths.