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Virus traps poor foreign workers in deserted Maldives
Tens of thousands of impoverished foreign labourers have been left stranded and ostracised in one of the world’s most densely packed cities as the tourist paradise of the Maldives battles coronavirus.
The turquoise waters and pristine beaches that draw honeymoon couples from around the world have been empty for weeks since a government order to close all resorts. That has left an army of migrant workers jobless.
Like Singapore, which recorded a large number of coronavirus cases among migrants living in tightly-packed dorms, the Maldives is heavily dependent on foreign labour.
About half of the 150,000 people in the two square kilometres that make up the capital, Male, are workers from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka living in teeming alleys that are a haven for the virus.
“There is huge uncertainty and panic,” said Zakir Hossain, 39, who had worked in a Male restaurant until March’s shutdown.
He said he has not been paid for more than two months.
“We are worried about the disease. All the Bangladeshi workers live in congested conditions,” he said.
Like many migrants — who share rooms and even beds between shifts — Hossain lives in a single room on a backstreet with four other Bangladeshis.
Outside, security forces stop the labourers going out on the streets.
Authorities acknowledge conditions in Male for foreign workers are poor, and say they are moving thousands into better housing out of the capital.
But opposition politicians have criticised the plans, labelling the treatment of such workers as “inhuman”.
Family fears
The Maldives has recorded nearly 1,400 coronavirus infections among a population of 340,000, a much higher ratio than neighbouring Sri Lanka with 22 million people.
Some experts have warned the Maldives risks thousands more cases unless action is taken. Authorities say the infection spreads three times faster in migrant communities than in the local population.
Fears are growing for the health and welfare of these foreign workers, who are often brought in to clear refuse, clean dishes and do other essential jobs that locals reject.
Four coronavirus deaths have been reported so far, including one Bangladeshi, but rumours that hundreds of foreigners have the virus have compounded concerns among migrants.
Many are also worried about their families back in Bangladesh, also in the grip of a pandemic lockdown amid rising deaths.
“We need money to survive. We need our work,” said Hossain, who managed to send about 80 per cent of his $180 a month wage back to his wife and four children before the outbreak.
But others were not so fortunate. Anwar Hosain, a 42-year-old Bangladeshi carpenter and father of five, said he was owed about $1,800 by his employers.
“My wife calls me every day and cries. What can I do?”
What next?
The government has moved 3,000 foreign workers to a temporary shelter on the industrial island of Gulhi Falhu outside Male.
Thousands more are to follow but the main opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has described the facilities as prisons. Labourers are barely allowed out and their rooms do not even have fans in the peak summer heat, when temperatures climb above 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit).
“The treatment of these expatriates, mostly Bangladeshi nationals, is inhuman,” PPM spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef told AFP.
Government spokesman Mabrook Azeez said authorities had built the housing in a bid to ease overcrowding in Male.
“This is not the condition we want our labourers to live in,” he told AFP.
Roughly a thousand Bangladeshis staying illegally in the Maldives have been repatriated, minister for foreign affairs Abdullah Shahid said on Sunday. India has taken back 4,000 people who lost their jobs.
Those left are increasingly despondent.
“I heard that if a Bangladeshi worker dies here, they don’t send his body back and he is buried here. I am worried what will happen if I die,” said Hossain.
Reporting and photos: AFP
Baros Maldives will welcome guests for its festive season from 22 December 2026 to 7 January 2027, with a programme centred on the island’s natural surroundings, Maldivian heritage and a series of culinary, marine and cultural experiences.
The programme will combine Christmas and New Year traditions with activities inspired by island life, including ocean excursions, local cultural experiences, festive dining and wellbeing sessions.
The season will begin with a Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, followed by a series of activities introducing guests to festive traditions and Maldivian culture. These will include a Christmas cookie workshop, an Ocean, Coconut & Spice cooking class, a Maldivian Heritage Evening and an Island Christmas Market.
Marine experiences will remain a central part of the festive programme. Guests will be able to join a Sunrise Nooma sailing experience, take part in fishing trips at sunrise or twilight, explore the house reef with the resort’s marine team or join a dolphin-watching cruise.
Private yacht excursions, visits to local islands and trips to Malé will also be available for guests wishing to explore beyond the resort.
Baros Maldives will also offer a series of culinary experiences throughout the festive period. These will include a Sake Pairing Dinner, a Great Gatsby-themed five-course dinner and a Champagne Dinner inspired by the Seven Seas.
Other dining experiences will include a Butcher’s Block buffet, an Omakase tasting lunch and a Master Chef Tuna Carving Show & Tasting. Guests will also be able to take part in wine discovery experiences, cocktail-making sessions and an Island Crafted Cocktails programme.
On Christmas Eve, guests will gather at The Lighthouse for a cocktail reception before continuing to Lime for the Christmas Eve Gala Dinner.
Christmas Day will feature breakfast, festive activities and time for guests to enjoy the beach, lagoon and other island experiences with family and friends.
New Year’s Eve celebrations will begin with a cocktail reception, followed by a Gala Dinner, live entertainment and the countdown to 2027.
New Year’s Day will start with a celebratory brunch, followed by a selection of wellbeing and dining experiences. These will include a beachfront degustation dinner accompanied by live violin and saxophone performances.
Younger guests will also have a dedicated programme of festive activities, including mocktail-making, Christmas cookie workshops and island-based activities designed for families and children.
Throughout the season, Baros Maldives will host live music, marine presentations, yoga and meditation sessions alongside its wider programme of dining, recreation and ocean experiences.
The festive programme is intended to reflect the character of Baros Maldives by combining Christmas and New Year celebrations with the island’s marine environment, culinary offering and Maldivian culture.
From 21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027, Niva Kuramathi will mark the festive season with “A Tropical Festive Season”, a programme of dining, entertainment, outdoor activities and family experiences shaped around the island setting.
The programme will make use of Kuramathi’s natural surroundings, including its house reef and sandbank, alongside its 12 restaurants and seven bars.
The festivities will begin on the evening of 21 December with a Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on the sandbank. Guests will be welcomed with drinks and live music at sunset, followed later in the evening by a traditional Bodu Beru performance.
On 28 and 29 December, the resort will host a traditional Maldivian Market, featuring Bodu Beru drumming, a folklore parade and locally made artisanal crafts.
Christmas Eve festivities
Christmas Eve celebrations will begin on the sandbank at sunset, with welcome drinks and Christmas carols. Santa Claus and his elves will also make an appearance before guests gather for a gala buffet dinner.
The evening will conclude with an outdoor screening of a classic Christmas film under the stars.
Countdown to 2027
New Year’s Eve celebrations will begin at sunset with cocktails on the sandbank.
A gala dinner will then be served across Farivalhu, Malaafaiy and Haruge restaurants before the countdown to 2027. Fireworks will mark the arrival of the New Year, while live music and DJ performances will continue at Fung Bar and Sand Bar.
Festive activities
Throughout the festive period, Niva Kuramathi will offer a programme of recreational, culinary and entertainment activities.
Guests will be able to take part in moonlit yoga sessions on the sandbank, sand sculpting, Sip & Paint evenings for couples and fire dance performances.
Sporting activities will include beach volleyball, a football match between the Niva Kuramathi team and guests, as well as kayak, pedal boat and stand-up paddleboard races.
The entertainment programme will also include wine tastings, karaoke, music trivia, live music and DJ evenings.
Cooking classes will be held at Kobe, where guests will be able to take part in sessions centred around the restaurant’s open kitchen experience.
The festive programme is designed to allow guests to participate in scheduled activities while also having the option to spend time at leisure.
The season will conclude on 1 January 2027 with a late-morning brunch and the first house reef dive of the year.
Festive programme for children
Bageecha Kids Club will host a separate festive programme for younger guests, combining recreation, creative activities and environmental learning.
Activities will include treasure hunts, splash pad games, cookie-making, arts and crafts, eco workshops, nature exploration, holiday films, karaoke, bracelet-making and gardening in the resort’s hydroponic garden.
Children will also be able to take part in scavenger hunts, mini-Olympic games, yoga and disco dancing, as well as shared lunches and dinners with other young guests.
On Christmas Eve, the programme will begin with a family photograph session, followed by gingerbread house decorating, writing letters to Santa, a palm-leaf handicraft workshop and outdoor games.
Christmas morning will feature a pyjama party with musical games and pool activities. Later in the day, families will gather at Athiri Deck to welcome Santa Claus, who will distribute gifts to children.
New Year’s Eve activities for younger guests will take place during the afternoon, with music and games around the pool followed by a children’s disco as part of the resort’s final celebrations of 2026.
Nova Maldives will renew its partnership with PADI this September to co-host Project AWARE Week from 16 to 20 September 2026.
Organised by the resort’s marine team, the programme will give guests, from first-time snorkellers to experienced divers, opportunities to combine marine wildlife observation with practical conservation activities. The initiative is intended to turn time spent in the ocean into an educational experience while encouraging greater awareness of marine conservation.
This year’s AWARE Week coincides with PADI’s 60th anniversary and Nova Maldives’ fourth year of operation in South Ari Atoll. Now in its eighth global edition, PADI AWARE Week has developed into a citizen science movement within the diving community and has helped rescue more than 41,000 entangled marine animals to date.
Through its continued participation, Nova Maldives aims to encourage guests to become ocean advocates and remain engaged with marine conservation beyond their stay.
Guests staying at Nova during AWARE Week will be able to participate in a programme designed for different levels of ocean experience. Activities will include:
- Ocean immersion and storytelling: Sessions inspired by Blue Planet and other ocean documentaries, highlighting the diversity and vulnerability of marine life.
- Dive Against Debris: Underwater clean-up dives in the resort’s lagoon, during which participants will remove plastic and other waste before recording the findings in PADI AWARE’s global database.
- Whale shark snorkelling: Guided encounters that will allow guests to swim alongside whale sharks in the open waters of South Ari Atoll.
- Manta ray and turtle-spotting excursions: Guided boat trips to feeding and nesting areas where manta rays and turtles can be observed in their natural habitats.
- Coral restoration workshops: Practical sessions introducing guests to coral planting and the resort’s ongoing reef regeneration work.
“Some of the most meaningful work happens when you show up year after year. Four years into Nova’s story, we’ve learned that the health of the reef tells us a great deal about the impact we’re making, and that the guests who choose to return aren’t just here for the view,” said Abdulla Aboobakuru, General Manager of Nova Maldives.
“They’re here because Nova reflects something they already care about, including care for the ocean, a sense of community and a more thoughtful way of experiencing the places we visit. That’s what we hope Nova can inspire in new and returning guests alike: less a destination, more a calling.”
The resort’s marine conservation work continues throughout the year. Its coral nursery contains a growing collection of metal frames holding individually secured coral fragments, which are later transplanted onto the house reef. Guests are regularly invited to participate in the planting process, while the marine team monitors the young coral colonies as they develop.
Nova Maldives also maintains partnerships with the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme and Manta Trust. The resort is accredited as a Responsible Manta Tourism Operator, with the partnerships supporting its year-round approach to marine conservation.
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