WEB DESK

Sri Lankan government has said it is considering reopening of the Colombo international airport prior to August 1st. Earlier, the government has announced a strategy to open the country for tourists from August 1st with safety precautions.

Tourism and Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said today that all those expecting to arrive in Sri Lanka will be brought back before the reopening of the airport for the tourists. The minister emphasized that this has to be decided according to the availability of spaces at quarantine centers in the country. He said that the repatriation of Sri Lankan expatriates could be completed before August 1.

Mr. Ranatunga said there are about 20,000 more Sri Lankans expecting to return while at least 10,000 persons were brought and are being quarantined. The minister said that after the reopening of the airport for tourists, attention would be made to bring in tourists in groups and that all tourists should undergo PCR tests on their arrival.

Sri Lanka earns over five billion US dollars of revenue from tourism which has been adversely impacted by COVID crisis. The government is hopeful for return of tourists as life is slowly returning to normalcy in the country. There have been only few cases reported over past one week and none of them suggest community transmission.