Three negative PCR tests for tourists to travel around the country

By Faadhila Thassim

The Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, S.Hettiarachchi said, with the official opening of Airports today, tourists with three negative PCR tests will be allowed to travel around the country following a 14-day quarantine period.

Thereby those arriving in the country following a negative PCR report prior to boarding the flight will be directed to quarantine for 14 days. Tourists will then be subject to another PCR test on admission to the hotel where they will quarantine and following five to seven days, they would be subject to another PCR test.

After the completion of 14 days, the third PCR test will be carried out and tourists with negative test results will be permitted to travel around the country. Hettiarachchi stated that guidelines have been set to ensure that there is no risk of te spread of COVID-19 to locals by tourists and vice versa.

He said while ten flights will be allowed into the country per day,75 seats per flight will be allocated for Sri Lankans willing to arrive in the country accounting to a total of 750 Sri Lankans being able to return to the country per day. “While the repatriation flights handled by the Government will continue. Meanwhile, with the opening of airports, Sri Lankans living abroad could travel in these tourist flights making the relevant payments’’ he added.

Hettiarachchi said there will be no restriction on any country adding that however those who have been in the UK 14 days prior to arriving in Sri Lanka will not be permitted to enter into the country.

Hettiarachchi stated that the difference of the official opening of Airports for tourists today and that of the pilot tourist project that was carried out from December 2020 to January 2021 is that unlike tourists who arrived under the pilot project, tourists arriving in the country from today will be free to travel following a 14-day quarantine period.

Those who formerly arrived under the pilot project moved together under a ‘travel bubble’ and these tourists encounter locals. Further tourists arriving from today could remain in the country as long as their visas are permitted.