Has The Maldives Really Imposed Travel Restrictions on India?

The Maldives has banned the entry of travellers from India due to the current Covid situation. Other countries that have followed suit are Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Bangladesh. 

Maldives tourism Minister tweeted on Sunday, “With effect from 27 April @HPA_mv suspends tourists travelling from #India to #Maldives from staying at tourist facilities in inhabited islands. We thank you for the support in our endeavour to make tourism safest possible with minimum inconvenience.”

Certain Twitter users mocked Bollywood celebs using memes on hearing the news. The holiday pics of the stars savouring the beaches, the sun, and the pristine sand in the Island, didn’t go down well with some of the online viewers.  At a time when the nation is grappling with a serious covid situation, the holiday pics seemed to be insensitive to them.  

It was not only the Twitter community but other stars from the industry like Shruti Haasan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui who also pointed towards their act of flaunting holiday pics. 

This is how Twitter users reacted when the news of suspension of travelers from India to Maldives began circulating. 

Later the Maldives Tourism Board representative in India, ‘Think Strawberries’ clarified that the islands that have a local population have been prohibited but all the resorts in the Maldives are still open to travelers from India. 

The Maldives which has a collection of islands has a one island and one resort concept. When tourists arrive at the Velana airport they are sped away in a speed boat or a sea plane to their chosen island without having to visit other islands that are occupied by locals. This means that Bollywood and other rich Indians are still open to the island. 

So this news may come as a shocker to those who were mocking celebs for flaunting their holiday pics. 

Days earlier many stars took to social media expressing that it was not right of their colleagues from the industry to flaunt their holiday pics at a time when the nation is grappling to tackle a situation that has gone completely haywire. 

Indian author Shobha De was one among those who slammed the actors and urged celebs to “keep it private.”

“It is the height of vulgarity to flaunt those ridiculous pictures. Enjoy the Maldives by all means. You are blessed if you can get such a break in these bleak times. But do everyone a favour, keep it private”, she shared on Instagram.