701 expatriates permitted to return home

Maldives Immigration has revealed it has granted permission for 701 foreigners to leave the country via evacuation flights.

Many foreign workers in the Maldives have lost their jobs and have been stranded in the country due to the lockdown in many countries following the COVID-19 pandemic. Maldives Immigration stated the individuals who left the country via evacuation flights were citizens of Italy, Indonesia, and the Philippines, most of whom were working in the Maldives.

The government has arranged previous repatriation flights for stranded tourists in the Maldives. In this regard, tourists from South Africa and Mauritius were returned on the national carrier, Maldivian, while Qatar Airways took several Australian tourists home.