Sri Lanka to impose restrictions on foreign arrivals

• Quarantine process on tourists to be tightened 
• Sharp increase in returnees being detected as COVID patients 
• Total of 3,480 cases in the month of April alone

By Sheain Fernandopulle 

Restrictions are to be imposed on foreign arrivals to Sri Lanka considering the global pandemic situation that seems to be worsening, Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said. 

He told media that many foreign countries have imposed severe exit /entry restrictions after the emergence of the third and fourth wave of COVID-19 in their respective countries. 
“However, the COVID-19 situation in Sri Lanka is currently at a controlled state and therefore, it is important to maintain the momentum. For that, the Government will have to impose restrictions on foreign arrivals considering the global pandemic situation,” Dr. Samaraweera underlined. 

“We may also have to go back to the strict quarantine process, which we applied earlier on returnees,” he stressed. 

He also said they had noticed a notable rise in cases being detected among returnees in quarantine centres. 
“We detected a total of 3,480 cases in the month of April alone, and out of which 538 are returnees who are at quarantine centres,” 

“We have been monitoring this situation and time is now ripe to impose certain restrictions to ensure the virus does not enter the country,” Dr. Samaraweera added. 

• We have been monitoring this situation and time is now ripe to impose certain restrictions