Maldives is at risk of being exposed to the new, highly contagious strain of COVID-19 spreading in Britain, local media citing health officials reported here Friday.
Dr. Nazla Musthafa from the technical advisory group under Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) told local media that the new coronavirus strain has been detected in more than 20 countries and regions including major destinations for Maldivian travellers.
Musthafa said that the new virus strain could cause strain on a country’s health system. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has released new regulations requiring local residents and arrivals from Britain to be quarantined at home for 10 days and take two virus tests.
A report by the MMA said that the island country’s real GDP growth would recover in 2021 following a projected decline of 29.3 percent in 2020 due to COVID-19 impacts on tourism, construction industry and related economic activities.
Tourist arrivals fell by 70 percent between January to November, the report said. Total revenue between January and October declined by 37 percent while expenditures declined by 2 percent. The Maldives’ foreign exchange reserves stood at 629.9 million U.S. dollars by the end of November 2020.
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