Sri Lanka yet to provide clearance for Indian Covid vaccine

Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and Seychelles will begin to receive Covid  19 vaccines from India tomorrow, according to a media release issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

Sri Lanka too could have been on this list and could have begun to receive shipments of the vaccine tomorrow yet that will not be the case because Sri Lanka is yet to provide "confirmation of necessary regulatory clearances" to India. 

The release by the Indian External Affairs Ministry notes that it is awaiting necessary clearances from Sri Lanka Afghanistan and Mauritius to begin shipping the vaccine. 

The Government of Sri Lanka has been busy preparing for the arrival of tourists from other countries as they are all set to reopen the airports on the 21st. However, Sri Lankans will have to wait a while longer to see airplanes touching down on Sri Lankan tarmacs with life-saving vaccines.