Editor’s Note – CNN Travel updates this article periodically. It was last fully updated on December 30th.
(CNN) – If you are planning a trip to the Maldives, here’s what you need to know and expect if you want to visit during the global coronavirus pandemic.
The basic
The Maldives reopened the borders for all travelers on 15 July.
What’s on offer
This is the destination for couples to wipe out everyone else – luxury hotels located on private islands, with rooms swinging over the water, in case a walk to the beach takes a lot of effort.
Who can go
All visitors can travel to the Maldives at the moment, as long as they have tested negative for Covid. Cruise ships are currently banned, however.
What are the restrictions?
Anyone who is not a citizen of the Maldives must present a certificate of a negative PCR test carried out 96 hours before departure, clearly showing the name and address of the laboratory, as well as the date of the sample taken.
Hotels are open and pensions reopened to international visitors on October 15. Tourists can split stays between hotels. However, if you spend more than 48 hours in the Greater Male area, you must have another PCR test before moving to another place.
Since the discovery of the new UK variant in late December, all non-tourist arrivals from the UK, including passengers in transit, must go through a 10-day quarantine. However, this does not apply to tourists.
All passengers leaving the airport on arrival will undergo a health check.
What is the situation with Covid
There were only 48 deaths in the Maldives and a total of less than 14,000 cases as of December 30.
What can visitors expect?
The Maldives is selling itself as a destination that offers “normal” vacations, thanks to the isolation of most hotels and the fact that the vast majority of visitors stay at the resort instead of venturing out.
This means that although locals are subject to restrictions, those who come and go from the airport are exempt. Stays divided between different hotels are allowed, if the hotels meet government requirements. Requests for split stays must be made 48 hours prior to travel to the Ministry of Tourism.
Also, expect your resort to have some rules – especially a temperature check on arrival and masks to be used indoors.
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CNN’s Julia Buckley contributed to this report