Health Protection Agency (HPA) has revised the guidelines set for the upcoming local council elections, allowing candidates to travel for their campaign without quarantine.
The revised guideline states candidates travelling from Male’ or another region with active COVID-19 cases to islands without any reported cases can stay at an island for their campaign for a maximum of 5 days without quarantine. Candidates and their teams travelling for more than 5 days are required to undergo quarantine for 10 days.
HPA also stated candidates and their representatives are required to seek permission from HPA before travelling. They must present a negative PCR test result, conducted 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure.
Furthermore, the revised guideline states door-to-door activities are not permitted, although rallies are permitted in an open space for a short duration.
The local council elections are scheduled to be held on April 10. The Electoral Act states candidates must be provided a minimum of 28 days to conduct their campaign.