Maldives vaccinates over 30% of tourism front line workers
With over 8,800 of tourism frontline team vaccinated already, Maldives is on track to be among the first countries to give COVID-19 vaccination opportunity to all working in the tourism sector, revealed Ministry of Tourism.
Being heavily reliant on the tourism industry with majority of its income coming from the sector either directly or indirectly, the Maldivian economy crashed hard and fast when the pandemic hit; suspending flights and closing off countries. However, Maldives has come a long way since then and has made a very successful recovery of the sector, adapting to a new normal way of life and tourism.
Making a safer Maldives for all
Since the beginning of the vaccination programme on 1st February 2021, a total of 138,827 people in Maldives have received the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India under the name ‘COVISHIELD’, including 84,891 people in the Male’ area and 53,936 people in the atolls. The Tourism Ministry and Health Protection Agency started vaccination drives in resorts on 14th February 2021. The first vaccination center in a resort opened in Bandos Island Resort & Spa. The government prioritized 10,000 doses from the first shipment of vaccination doses for the frontline workers in the tourism industry. The priority is set not only for resort workers, but also includes workers in guesthouses, liveaboards, and airport representatives. As of now, Maldives has welcomed more than 200,000 tourists in just 2021 alone, with numbers expected to increase on the daily as Covid-19 safety measures and vaccination continues to makes travelling safer again.