President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has revealed that citizens who have had two weeks pass following being administered their second dose of Covid-19 vaccinations will be permitted to travel between islands without quarantine.

The President made the announcement in a tweet on Wednesday, noting that it was now a year to Male' City first being locked down due to Covid-19. President Solih went on to reveal that those who have had two weeks pass since their second Covid-19 vaccination could soon travel freely between islands and atolls.

The Health Protection Agency on Thursday revealed that those who have had two weeks pass since their second vaccination could now travel to islands that have not reached 60 percent vaccinations for residents. In addition to this, those traveling to islands that record more than 5 percent in Covid-19 transmissions must provide negative PCR test results prior to travelling.

Further, HPA revealed that inclusive of tourists, travelers in the Maldives who had seen two weeks pass since receiving their second dose could travel without PCR testing inside the Maldives. However, those voting at health centers, schools and residential care services can only enter the Maldives with a negative PCR testing, or will be required to perform a PCR test following their arrival to the country.

Under the revised regulations, the HPA will be maintaining a list of islands that have reached 60 percent vaccinations for resident populations, along with a list of islands with less than and greater than 5 percent recorded in Covid-19 transmissions.

While the Maldives initiated a nationwide Covid-19 vaccination programme on 1 February 2021, latest statistics by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) detail that majority of the total eligible population in Maldives have now received Covid-19 vaccines. As of now, second doses of Covishield vaccines are being administered to citizens along with Sinopharm vaccines, and the Pfizer vaccine for special use.

The HPA recently extended operational hours for vaccination centers in the Greater Male' area due to long queues. The most recent vaccination update, as of Wednesday, reveals that a total of 274,782 residents have been vaccinated against Covid-19, including a total of 228,970 people who received their second doses of the vaccines.