Covid-19 infection on a liveaboard at the Maldives

[Oliver Ohlendorf]

13th January “The UK, where we live, announced that they will require a negative PCR test for arrivals from the 15th of January and we were planning to fly home on the 16th.”
If they left the UK around the 20th Dec they left during a major breakout of a new COVID variant, which has now spread to Ireland and overwhelmed our health system and killed hundreds of people.

Actually the host of the initial infection came from the UK.

Let us get some facts right, please. To travel to the Maldives a negative PCR test is required. So would ALL the guests have aquired their tests accordingly (without cheating) and would they have kept basic Covid social distancing they would NOT have carried the infection on board.
People like this are spreading the illness at home or abroad, whereever they go.

Would the boat have followed Covid protocols they would have isolated the infected guest on first symptoms and would have got her tested, instead of covering up. Than most likely they would have had a chance to avoid some of the other people getting sick.

Also frankly speaking 90% of the passengers on board an airplane from and to the Maldives are holidaygoers, all "taking the same risk". I think it is up to everyone to decide about it. The intention of my post was to give those who are thinking about travelling some extra information.

I do not think that it should be the base for bashing people for travelling abroad. Please start your own post if you wish to lecture people.

 

[Celt]

I do not think that it should be the base for bashing people for travelling abroad. Please start your own post if you wish to lecture people.

Please stay at home till we have an effective vaccine, your killing people so you can have your jollies.

 

[Oliver Ohlendorf]

Please stay at home till we have an effective vaccine, your killing people so you can have your jollies.

I am not sure why you are addressing this to me. I have solely posted a link to an article, without being involved.
I have never killed anyone, nor have I been infected with Covid-19, despite travelling to the Azores in August, to the Maldives in November and to the Canaries now in January. I have been tested at least monthly.
But I am keeping Covid measures unlike most people I met during the last 3 weeks.

I think the chance of getting infected in the UK and Ireland is multitudes higher than on most Islands I visited.

##### Please do not reply, I think everyone got your point. You do not need to repeat it.

 

[Celt]

I am not sure why you are addressing this to me. I have solely posted a link to an article, without being involved.
I have never killed anyone, nor have I been infected with Covid-19, despite travelling to the Azores in August, to the Maldives in November and to the Canaries now in January. I have been tested at least monthly.
But I am keeping Covid measures not like most people I met duting the last 3 weeks. I think the chance of getting infected in the UK and Ireland is multitudes higher than on most Islands.

##### Please do not reply, I think everyone got your point. You do not need to repeat it.

Ill reply when and if I wish, and as long as you wish to justify the actions of the people involved.

 

[Esprise Me]

Yeah I think nobody expects 5-star all inclusive, but a decent accommodation and acceptable food would be expected for 75 USD/day.

Especially since the Maldivian government is trying to re-start the tourism, so they should do their part by making sure tourists are handled appropriately...

And this is something else people should take into account when evaluating risk. Many lovely travel destinations are terrible places to get sick or injured, even absent a global pandemic. Even my home county of Los Angeles is buckling under the strain of the pandemic; we're fresh out of ICU beds so even those of us likely to survive getting infected are feeling a bit nervous about the prospect of being utterly screwed if our car flips off the freeway. Don't assume any country, no matter how badly they want tourists right now, is going to have suitable accommodations should you need to quarantine.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Oliver Ohlendorf

What is the lesson you meant to convey by posting this story? It seems quite clear to me, it is much too early to be traveling during the pandemic. You travel now, you are entirely responsible for the consequences, personal and societal.

 

[Oliver Ohlendorf]

Ill reply when and if I wish, and as long as you wish to justify the actions of the people involved.

Do whatever suits you. #IGNORE ON

 

[flyboy08]

This is a sad turn of events regardless of Covid...hopefully anyone considering a trip there will cancel?

 

[Oliver Ohlendorf]

Hi @Oliver Ohlendorf

What is the lesson you meant to convey by posting this story? It seems quite clear to me, it is much too early to be traveling during the pandemic. You travel now, you are entirely responsible for the consequences.

Yep I am travelling. And I assume full responsibility for my travels.

I am still not involved in the described situation, as I am just posting the link to give fellow divers access to the contained information.

I did not find any related rule that would disallow this post, but if you are saying the post is inappropriate because travel related posts are being censored by scubaboard.com staff please remove it.

 

[Oliver Ohlendorf]

And this is something else people should take into account when evaluating risk. Many lovely travel destinations are terrible places to get sick or injured, even absent a global pandemic. Even my home county of Los Angeles is buckling under the strain of the pandemic; we're fresh out of ICU beds so even those of us likely to survive getting infected are feeling a bit nervous about the prospect of being utterly screwed if our car flips off the freeway. Don't assume any country, no matter how badly they want tourists right now, is going to have suitable accommodations should you need to quarantine.

This is what the HPA has to consider when allowing tourists to enter the country and enabling resorts and liveaboards to resume operations.
There are plenty of currently unused tourist resorts at the Maldives. As you can read in the article, they made people pay for the quarantine accommodation so I think this could be easily done in an appropriate way if there wasn't someone involved eager to make a profit out of these tourists.