The Seychelles Tourism Board has vehemently denied accusations that the local health authority had issued false positive COVID-19 tests to force tourists to prolong their time in the island nation. The tourism board said that “the initial reports alleging Seychelles was giving out inaccurate test results appeared in the Israeli press and on social media after some of their nationals tested positive upon their exit from the holiday destination.”

Chief executive, Sherin Francis, reiterated that interfering with the COVID tests would increase the nation’s statistics and reflect negatively on the destination. Francis, however, added that the Seychelles could not allow a guest to exit the country if he or she had tested positive, in compliance with international health and sanitary measures. Francis said, “Every guest testing positive during their stay has to quarantine for 10 days before being allowed to return home. This is the norm being observed everywhere.”

All Africa reports that Francis stressed that the Seychelles was safe to visit. An archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, the Seychelles reopened its borders to all countries except directly from South Africa on March 25. Further, at the end of April the country’s travel advisory was revised to include Brazil and India following an increase in cases in the two countries.

All Africa reports that over 62 percent of all adults in the island nation have received the two doses of the Sinopharm and Covishield vaccines.

Umm Muhammed Umar