As discussions are on to impose stricter quarantine procedures for arrivals in Sri Lanka from abroad, The Morning learnt there has been no decision taken on whether tourists would also be subjected to these stricter procedures.
Speaking to The Morning yesterday (18), Ministry of Health Epidemiology Unit Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said that discussions are ongoing in the Ministry of Health to impose strict quarantine measures for arrivals in the country and that it may include both repatriates and tourists.
“The strict regulations may be for all but it is still under discussion at the Ministry of Health. No decisions have been made on the nature of the strict regulations as of yet.”
Speaking to the media, Dr. Samaraweera was reported to have stated that restrictions are to be imposed by the Government on foreign arrivals to Sri Lanka considering the worsening of the global Covid-19 pandemic, citing severe exit/entry restrictions imposed by foreign countries after the emergence of their third and fourth waves of Covid-19. He had also stated that there may be a return to the strict quarantine process imposed on returnees earlier.
New quarantine guidelines issued for travellers arriving from overseas issued by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena exempted fully vaccinated travellers with negative PCR test results from quarantine. Further, the guidelines issued on 18 March by the DGHS gave prominence to home quarantine for repatriates.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. S.M. Arnold had said that even with the home quarantine procedure in place, the mandatory 14-day quarantine period has not changed. He said that this measure was taken to ensure the country’s ability to accommodate more persons in quarantine centres or hotels, allowing more people to return to the country.
The lack of space in state-run quarantine centres was an issue faced by migrant workers hoping to return to Sri Lanka because they found it difficult to afford hotel quarantine.
The 8 April guidelines also read that citizens or dual citizens staying in a designated quarantine hotel after arriving in Sri Lanka need no prior approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Civil Aviation Authority to arrive in Sri Lanka. However, it stated that citizens who undergo government quarantine should obtain prior approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to arrive in the country.
Tourists who arrive through Sri Lanka Tourism, if tested negative in the PCR conducted within the first 24 hours, can visit approved tourist sites whilst staying in the same certified tourist hotel and travel all the while within a bio-secure bubble according to the 8 April guidelines.
Revised quarantine procedures: No clarity whether stricter rules for tourists
19 Apr 2021
Revised quarantine procedures: No clarity whether stricter rules for tourists
19 Apr 2021