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Tuesday, 1 June 2021 02:50 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Charumini de Silva
Sri Lanka will once again allow inbound travellers from today (1 June), but with a 14-day mandatory quarantine and restrictions on passengers who have a travel history to Vietnam and India in the recent past.
Previously, passenger flights were banned from 21-31 May as part of overall measures to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19 via its third wave. With domestic travel restrictions continuing till 7 June, there were concerns whether the ban on incoming passenger flights will continue as well.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Director General Themiya Abeywickrama said yesterday that all airlines have been informed that passengers with a travel history to Vietnam (including transit) in the past 14 days will not be permitted to disembark in Sri Lanka until further notice.
Four international airlines – Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Gulf Air and Turkish Airlines – will commence flights today, while national carrier SriLankan Airlines will have 12 scheduled flights for the day. Thereafter, CAA believes the airlines that were in operation post-COVID will resume gradually.
Prior to the COVID outbreak, around 35 airlines operated direct flights to Sri Lanka. However post-COVID, only Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Turkish Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Singapore Airlines, China Eastern, Ukraine Airlines, Air Astana, Oman Air, Gulf Air and Fly Dubai resumed flights to Sri Lanka.
The CAA also said a total of 75 passengers per flight are allowed, including tourists.
Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said tourists from around the world will be allowed to visit the country, except for passengers who have been to India and Vietnam within the past 14 days.
“The decision was taken following consultation with the health authorities given the spike in COVID-19 cases within the country in the third wave,” he added.
The Minister also said the decision to restrict passengers from Vietnam was after they discovered a new COVID-19 variant, which is a hybrid of strains first found in India and the UK, where lab tests suggested it might spread more easily than other versions of the virus.
“The protection of our citizens is of paramount importance, whilst ensuring the continuity and revival of the tourism industry overall. All these tourists will move within a bio-bubble,” Ranatunga said.
Foreign nationals, seafarers, business and investment travellers require prior approval from Foreign Affairs to enter the country along with the entry visa, while it is not applicable for Sri Lankan passport holders and dual citizens.
A mandatory 14-day quarantine at an identified quarantine centre/hotel or ‘Safe and Secure’ certified Level 1 hotel is required for all inbound travellers, irrespective of the type of vaccine obtained.
CAA recommends inbound tourists to refer to Sri Lanka Tourism for direction at: http://www.srilanka.travel/helloagain/
Inbound travellers are required to obtain a negative PCR test prior to departure from the point of origin as per airline requirements.
After a near 10-month closure, Sri Lanka on 21 January re-opened borders to resume inbound international travel to the country. Since then, over 13,000 tourists have arrived while complying with health and safety guidelines.
