In the wake of mounting concerns over the spread of the new Covid variant Omicron, Maldives on Tuesday recorded its first case of the Omicron variant.
The Maldives Health Protection Agency (HPA) confirmed that it had detected the Omicron virus after conducting genomic sequencing on samples taken from a tourist from South Africa who arrived in the country on November 27.
Following the discovery of the Omicron variant, the Maldivian government has banned travel to the Maldives from South Africa, Namibia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini and Zimbabwe.
It also informed that the Maldivian citizens and work permit holders travelling from these countries must undergo PCR tests and quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
According to the latest figures from the HPA, a total of 92,368 active cases of Covid-19 have been detected in the country, out of which 1,796 are active cases. The country has recorded 255…