Covid-19 Travel guidleines

Covid-19 Travel guidelines

By signing the Booking Form, all guests on Sail Shantaram acknowledge that they are aware of the below COVID-19 tourism guidelines relating to the charter of the yacht, and agree to abide by them.

All guests must be in possession of tourist's medical insurance that covers COVID-19 related costs to be transferred, quarantined, isolated, or treated in the Maldives if required.
OR
To cover all the costs themselves, to be transferred, quarantined, isolated, or treated in the Maldives for COVID-19, if required.

Last update Jan 2022
Maldives is open to travellers from all countries.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Travelers must have a confirmed pre-booking in an approved tourist facility for the duration of their stay and provide emergency contact information.
Travelers must have a passport or travel document valid for a minimum 30 days from date of entry to the Maldives. ( This validity period may be a different requirement for airlines or transit countries)
A certificate showing a negative PCR test taken a maximum of 96 hours prior to flight departing your country of origin. All travellers must hold a negative PRC test, even if they have received two doses of a WHO approved vaccine against COVID-19.
If you makes a transit during the journey, the initial PCR test will be valid if the transit does not exceed 24 hours.
If you makes a transit exceeding 24 hours you must take a repeat PCR test within 96 hours prior to departure from the country of transit.
If you are tourist staying at a guesthouse on a locally inhabited island you must have completed both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine listed among the emergency vaccines noted by World Health Organisation (WHO) not less than 14 days before check-in into guesthouses. Children who are too young to be vaccinated in your country of origin can travel with vaccinated adults and stay at guesthouses.
The IMUGA online health declaration form must be completed within the 48 hour period prior to departure of your initial flight en route to Maldives. For those with a transit period of 24 hours or more, you are required to complete this form again before embarking on your next flight. The form requires your PCR certificate to be uploaded. Once fully complete a QR code will be generated and this needs to be presented at the time of your international flight check in and at Maldives Immigration. The QR code will count down a 24 hour time period.
It is OK if the QR code is expired when you land in Maldives, it must just be valid before departure flight to permit check in.
Notes for filling in the Imuga form:
- When entering your phone number do not insert the "+" before the country code. Sometimes the app is glitchy with phone numbers!
- Select K.Male from the drop down for where you are staying (all safari boats must choose K.Male)
- The next drop down list will let you scroll down and select SY Shantaram (the boat name)
- If you need to supply an address of where you are staying, just write SY Shantaram
- If you are staying at a resort first, use this information instead
- Have a copy of a selfie and your PCR test on your phone/computer
- Although the app will let you take a selfie/picture of your test within the app – sometimes this can prove glitchy so better to just have an image/ file on your phone to select.
- If for any reason after completing the form you get an error when you try to submit (ie one of the sections is incomplete etc), rather exit the form completely and start the process again afresh. Often if you amend the error there will be a problem with the form getting accepted, so better just to redo, and not make any errors the 2nd time.
Travelers who have a history of contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 within the past 14 days and/or who have fever or respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, shortness of breath within the past 14 days should not travel to Maldives.
Travelers will not be subject to any further testing or quarantine measures upon arrival to the Maldives unless symptoms are detected or a invalid negative PCR certificate produced.

DURING MY STAY

Any COVID-19 symptoms displayed by yourself or a member of your group should be immediately reported to a senior crew member, and the symptomatic person shall be isolated with immediate effect until further guidance from HPA and Ministry of Tourism is received.
Once isolated a mandatory PCR test for COVID-19 will be undertaken as per HPA guidelines.
If the PCR test result is positive you shall remain under mandatory quarantine isolation at a designated quarantine isolation facility for a period of 7 days, and released upon negative PCR test thereafter
The Tourist or the tourist’s medical insurance shall bear all costs where required, to be transferred, quarantined, isolated, or
treated at a government managed facility
Individuals who test positive and are asymptomatic are required to be in Isolation for a period of 07 (seven) days from the date of sample collection. However, those who exhibit covid symptoms at the end of the isolation period specified are required to continue their isolation until 24 hours after symptoms have cleared.
All tourist facilities must ensure that the current practice of assessment by a doctor at the end of specified isolation period is recorded on the Release Summary Form. The said form must be filled and submitted to [email protected] by the property.
The Tourist or the tourist’s medical insurance shall bear all costs where required, to be transferred, quarantined, isolated, or treated at a government managed facility
You will only be released from quarantine following a negative PCR result at own cost
Quarantine duration for those identified as direct contacts: (a) Individual(s) who have been identified as a direct contact of a positive case but are asymptomatic, are NOT required to observe a quarantine period. However, if symptomatic the individual shall undertake a PCR test or a Rapid Antigen Test for Covid-19 and can ONLY be released upon receiving a negative test result.
Regardless of the ease mentioned in (a), ALL individual(s) who are identified as a direct contact of a positive case are required to undertake an additional PCR test after 05 (five) days from the date of last contact with the said positive case
c) The ease mentioned in (a) and (b) is strictly applicable ONLY to those direct contacts who are quarantined separately from the positive case.
The procedures mentioned below are to be implemented for individual(s) who observe their mandatory quarantine period together with a positive case of Covid-19:
I. Individual(s) identified as a direct contact of a positive case of Covid-19 must observe quarantine till the positive case of Covid-19 completes their isolation period. II. The quarantine period specified in (I) will come to an end ONLY upon receiving a negative result for the PCR test done at the end of the isolation period of the positive case of Covid-19.
III. Regardless of the ease mentioned in (II), such individual(s) are required to undertake an additional PCR test after 05 (five) days from the end of the isolation period of the positive case.

DEPARTURE

Prior to departure from Maldives, PCR testing is mandatory if it is a requirement of the country you will be returning to, or a requirement for your outbound flight
If a specific time frame for PCR testing is stated in the immigration requirements of the destination country, this time frame must be followed
Mandatory PCR tests are applicable if your length of stay in Greater Male exceeds 48 hours.
We can assist in facilitating PCR testing before departure at guests own cost.
It is possible to arrange for Treetops Private hospital staff to come to the yacht in Hulhumale lagoon to take swab, this will incur an additional cost
PCR testing is also available at some local islands in North/South Male*, so there is the possibility of having tests done there (*Subject to change). PCR testing is for guests own account.
Should you not wish that PCR testing impacts you charter, you may chose to overnight in Male or Hulhumale on the night of your check-out from charter, and have the test performed in Hulhumale that afternoon. Results are obtainable in 6 hours (express test) or standard test of 12 hours.
The online health declaration form (Imuga) must be completed within the 24 hour period prior to departure from the Maldives (same form used on arrival as per above, just select Departure option).

CAN I STAY AT A RESORT BEFORE OR AFTER MY TRIP?

Split stays are acceptable (i.e. yacht + resort)
Guests can stay in a resort after their charter, provided that the resort of their choice will accept guests coming from a yacht. Many resorts do not permit a split stay at this stage. It is the guests responsibility to ensure they inquire with the resort before booking that their preferred resort will accept incoming guests from a private yacht. Most of the resorts who do allow a split stay will require a new PCR test before check-in. We can assist in facilitating this at guests cost.
Guests can embark the yacht from a resort, or disembark to a resort, provided the resort is not in ‘ongoing contact tracing’ status at the time of the move, and that the guests are all symptom-free. The updated ongoing contact tracing status list is at this link
A resort, guesthouse, vessel or local island can be put under monitoring (contact tracing) at any point, so whilst the likelihood is low, there is no guarantee that you will be able to transfer to/from an island until the day of transfer. Monitoring status is brought about when an individual tests positive for COVID-19 and remains in place until all contact tracing has been completed and results of the tests for any contacts identified are returned as negative.
You may stay in approved Male or Hulhumale hotels or guesthouses for the purposes of transit, up to 48 hours.

CAN WE VISIT LOCAL ISLANDS OR RESORTS?

Tourist vessels are not allowed to call into any resort/island, apart of those pre-designated by the authorities.
Some resorts will permit tourist vessels to day visit, but not many
Current COVID-regulations do not let liveaboard/yacht guests visit locally inhabited island, this is subject to change based on updated regulations
We may visit uninhabited islands and sandbanks

DIVING

Not all dive centres are operational due to covid, but we will do our best to plan your itinerary to include those that are, should you wish to dive
We can arrange for private dive dhoni & dive master to accompany the charter, which offers total flexibility and unlimited diving. Quote available on request.

CHARTER CANCELLATION OR CURTAILMENT

If, prior or during the charter period, We or the Charterer would be unable to perform the charter due to covid-related health/travel bans or restrictions, the parties agree to reschedule the unperformed charter period once the said bans or restrictions shall be lifted or for a maximum period of 18 months.
The amounts paid by the Charterer for the unperformed charter period will be withheld as partial or total payment of the price of the postponed charter.
Charters cancelled more than 90 days before start date are eligible for a 50% refund of their deposit.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

It is highly recommended that you have travel insurance, that includes specific covid-cover, for situations such as trip cancellation & curtailment cover, and medical expenses, including quarantine
Maldives-specific Covid-19 insurance to cover quarantine and related medical expenses whilst in Maldives is available at this link. Irrespective of age, any foreigner entering the country on a tourist visa will be eligible for the insurance.

Dates, guidelines and requirements remain subject to review and change subject to the pandemic situation in Maldives and other factors. The information provided above is a guideline.
We recommend that you also refer to the websites of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives for the most up to date information. We also advise to check your own home Foreign Office Travel Advice or seek consular assistance as part of your travel planning.