The national airline, Maldivian, has urged Maldivian travelers to comply with a new requirement by neighboring India mandating all incoming passengers to complete a self-declaration form prior to travel.
According to Maldivian, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) introduced the self-declaration requirement as a precautionary measure following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) designation of the Ebola virus as a public health emergency of international concern.
The self-declaration forms must be submitted to the health and immigration counters upon arrival in India.
While Maldivians have not previously been required to complete such forms, they continue to benefit from a visa-free stay of up to 90 days in India, a popular destination for many locals.
The move comes after a Ugandan national was recently quarantined in Bengaluru under suspicion of having the Ebola virus. However, India’s Ministry of Health later confirmed that the individual tested negative for the disease.
To curb the potential spread of Ebola, India has implemented rigorous screening and monitoring protocols at its airports and other border crossings. Furthermore, the Indian government has issued safety advisories, urging its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.
According to the WHO, more than 900 suspected cases have been reported globally, with 101 confirmed as the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. There is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this particular strain of the virus.
