2 July 2020 12:00 am
By JAMILA HUSAIN
The government will complete a majority of repatriations of local citizens stranded overseas by mid July but this excludes the Middle Eastern countries, a senior official from the government told Daily Mirror yesterday.
The official said an estimated 40,000 people were still awaiting to be repatriated from several countries but a majority of them would be brought in by mid July.
To date, an estimated 150,000 local workers are employed in the Middle East out of which a majority wants to return. However with countries now opening up, several locals had returned back to work, and had informed the local missions they would return only at the end of their work contract. However those who want to return will also be brought in soon.
However in the Western and European region and in Australia, Sri Lankan nationals have informed Sri Lankan missions that they wanted to return due to winter setting in.
“No target has been set yet where we can entirely complete the repatriation process because the list is only getting accumulated. So it is a never ending list. Especially since winter is setting in, in the Western and European region and in Australia. So most of them want to come back home. But what I can very confidently say is that by July a majority of the locals who have registered with the diplomatic missions and who have been stranded for months will be back home,” the senior official said.
In recent weeks, over 11,000 locals have been repatriated back home from 38 countries with new COVID-19 cases being reported now among those repatriated.
Till last evening, a total of 2,050 patients were detected out of which 1,748 patients were released and discharged from hospital bringing down the total active cases to 302.
The Welikanda Base Hospital had the highest number of patients followed by the Katankudi Base Hospital and the IDH.
The official said an estimated 40,000 people were still awaiting to be repatriated from several countries but a majority of them would be brought in by mid July.
To date, an estimated 150,000 local workers are employed in the Middle East out of which a majority wants to return. However with countries now opening up, several locals had returned back to work, and had informed the local missions they would return only at the end of their work contract. However those who want to return will also be brought in soon. However in the Western and European region and in Australia, Sri Lankan nationals have informed Sri Lankan missions that they wanted to return due to winter setting in. “No target has been set yet where we can entirely complete the repatriation process because the list is only getting accumulated. So it is a never ending list. Especially since winter is setting in, in the Western and European region and in Australia. So most of them want to come back home. But what I can very confidently say is that by July a majority of the locals who have registered with the diplomatic missions and who have been stranded for months will be back home,” the senior official said.
In recent weeks, over 11,000 locals have been repatriated back home from 38 countries with new COVID-19 cases being reported now among those repatriated.
Till last evening, a total of 2,050 patients were detected out of which 1,748 patients were released and discharged from hospital bringing down the total active cases to 302.
The Welikanda Base Hospital had the highest number of patients followed by the Katankudi Base Hospital and the IDH.