Monday
23rd Dec 2024
Dhivehi Edition
Dr.Farahanaz.
Dr. Farahanaz Faisal, High Commissioner of the Maldives to the UK, said that there is "no longer a valid reason" for the Maldives to remain on the UK's red list for travel.
Speaking to the press, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) confirmed that the Maldives had been placed on the UK's red list as the country does not conduct genome sequencing and is therefore unable to share data of any COVID-19 variants that may be spreading in the country.
Dr. Faisal made the statement via a tweet published yesterday. In her tweet, she wrote that the GSAID (Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data) website has been updated with Maldivian genome sequencing data as required by the UK.
The High Commissioner said that she does not believe there is any good reason for the Maldives to remain on the red list. She further cited the Maldives' low case numbers, in comparison to other countries, and "extremely high vaccine rates" as reasons to the contrary.
The government has previously stated that samples will be sent abroad for genome sequencing while it is attempting to establish such facilities in the Maldives.