COVID-19 in Sri Lanka

Coronavirus or COVID-19 declared as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization and it has rapidly reached all corners of the world, including Sri Lanka. It slowly spread through the island and as of October 10, 2020, Sri Lanka had a total of 4628 confirmed cases, 1309 active cases, 13 deaths, and 3306 recovered cases. After a long battle against COVID-19, the situation was under control in the hands of the Sri Lankan health sector. The COVID-19 battle was going on well and the active number of cases decreased to 110 at the beginning of October 2020. The second wave of COVID-19 erupted from 5th October with a sudden finding of 739 new COVID patients. Although the tourism industry in Sri Lanka set to reopen from August 1, 2020, it was postponed due to health concerns.

What is the Coronavirus situation in Sri Lanka now? (As of 10/10/2020)

• 4628 confirmed cases
• 13 fatalities
• 3306 recovered
• 1309 active cases
• The first fatality was on March 28, 2020
• 8 fatalities were men ages 44 – 72 and 5 women age 51, 52, 72, 47

*These data is as on October 10, 2020 and I will update this post for major changes*

Time Line

• January 27, 2020 Sri Lanka confirmed the first case of COVID-19.

• March 10, 2020 the first Sri Lankan local national tested positive for COVID-19.

• 12 March, 2020 the government ordered to close schools and universities.

• On 20 March, the government announced that a lockdown styled curfew will be imposed for the entire nation.

• On 22 March, the government banned the arrival of all incoming passenger ships and planes.

• As of 23 March, 45 quarantine centers built in the country by the Sri Lanka Army as a preventive measure to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic.

• During the lockdown period, Sri Lankan authorities have tracked down all people who had contacted with the identified patients and had ordered self-quarantine for such people.

• 11 May, 2020 the curfew in all island relaxed. People begin to work while maintaining social distancing and following the guidelines issued by the Health Ministry.

• As of June 22, 2020, the National zoo in Dehiwala and Pinnawala, Yala, Wasgamuwa, Minneriya National Parks, Kumana, and Bundala Bird Parks opened.

Coronavirus curve of Sri Lanka (10/10/2020)

First COVID-19 case of Sri Lanka

The first case of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka reported on January 27, 2020. She was a 44 years old Chinese female tourist from Hubei Province in China. She immediately admitted to the National Institute of Infection Diseases. Later, she recovered fully and returned home safely on February 19.

Mission of Sri Lankan Air to rescue Wuhan students

33 Sri Lankan students trapped in Wuhan, China with the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. Sri Lankan Air launched a mission of mercy to rescue those students on February 1, 2020. After an extremely long turnaround flight from Colombo to Wuhan, the students bought back to Sri Lanka and handed over to the care of health authorities for the quarantine procedures.

Where to get information about Coronavirus in Sri Lanka

Please check the ministry of health website for the latest up to date information about Coronavirus in Sri Lanka. As well as, refer to the official website for Sri Lanka’s response to COVID-19.

Sri Lanka Coronavirus cases  locations

The epicenter of Coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka is the capital, Colombo, the city with the highest population density. The next areas with most cases are Gampaha and Kalutara the suburb city areas of Colombo.  There are confirmed Coronavirus cases in Kandy, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, and Jaffna, while most other touristic cities in Sri Lanka have no confirmed cases of Coronavirus.

The Coronavirus battle of Sri Lanka

The frontline of the country’s health battle against COVID-19 is Doctors, Nurses, and also Public Health Inspectors. They have done their roles as best as they can, to avoid spreading the Coronavirus through the country. The quarantine procedure operates under the Sri Lankan Army and they highly appreciated for their efficiency and excellent facilities. Both the health sector and military sector are s the heroes of the Sri Lankan Coronavirus battle.

Is there a lock down in Sri Lanka?

The 52 days long island-wide lockdown in Sri Lanka relaxed now. People can go to work with proper social distancing. Going to closed public places, gathering in large groups is not allowed.

Do you need to wear a mask in Sri Lanka?

The government recommends and encourages wearing masks for those who take public transportation, essential workers, public servants, caretakers, and those who are vulnerable and aged people. Nowadays, the majority of people in Sri Lanka are wearing masks for their own protection.

How Sri Lanka avoid large scale spread of Coronavirus

Sri Lanka and Vietnam are among the most successful countries in the world in keeping Coronavirus at a bay. The preventive measures took as early as possible with contact tracing, combined with restrictions against arrivals from all the ports. All the contacts of infected patients traced and immediately quarantined to stop community transmission. WHO admired the steps taken by Sri Lanka to control the virus by educating the public and carrying out quarantine procedures in effective ways. The following measures took to safeguard the community and prevent a possible outbreak of Coronavirus.

• Encouraging working at home.
• Suspending all large gatherings.
• Closing all schools and universities.
• All cinema theatres, bars, and night clubs are closed.
• All beaches, national parks, and public spaces are closed.
• Sri Lanka closed all the ports to foreigners.
• Only citizens and residents allowed to enter the country and they must do 14-day quarantine.
• The online delivery method arranged to buy groceries.
• Only one physically fit family member allowed for shopping in supermarkets.

When will Sri Lanka reopen to visitors?

Right now, the Sri Lankan tourism industry set to reopen in mid-September, 2020. Sri Lanka will provide international visitors with the highest standards of safety with the following guidelines for foreign guests.

• Visa needs to apply online prior to travel. The Visa fee is $100.
• Travelers need to carry a COVID-19 report issued not earlier than 72 hours before boarding.
• Tourists will have to take a PCR test at no cost at the airport upon arrival.
• Travelers transfer through pre-booked transportation to designated hotels in close proximity to the airport, to await their PCR test results which would be expected within 24 hours.
• There is no quarantine on arrival unless symptoms detected.
• A further check needs four to five days later, free of charge.
• If staying for more than 10 days, a third test needs at no cost.
• In case of a positive PCR result, quarantine in a designated hotel or hospitalization will take place depending on the details of the case. Quarantine would usually be 14 to 21 days if symptoms detected.
• Tourists need to arrange transportation prior to your arrival, with your Certified Accommodation provider or travel agent.

The government kindly requests travelers to follow these regulations for their own safeguard, as well as the safety of Sri Lankan society. Please give your maximum support to make a COVID-19 free Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka named as the most generous country during the Coronavirus pandemic

Sri Lanka gained popularity as the most generous country by treating and assisting the tourists during the pandemic. A video produced by Nas Daily Corporation has featured Sri Lanka’s hospitality towards the foreign travelers amid the Coronavirus lockdown. Nuseir Yassin, the popular international vlogger has said that Sri Lanka supported the stranded tourists amid the economic crisis.

He praised the Sri Lankan Tourism Disaster Monitoring and Hosting Program in a video and said that even when tourism went down to zero, Sri Lanka continued to treat tourists with dignity and respect. He pointed out that 14 tourists stranded in Ella treated as “family” by residents who provided them food and accommodation. Under this program, the stranded tourists identified and provided dry rations and other facilities. He remarked that “tourists should finally pay back Sri Lanka for these acts of kindness. We should visit their country, stay in local hotels, and help their economy,”

As Sri Lankans, we are proud of these remarks and hope that tourism comes back to life in this beautiful paradise soon. The government is focusing to safeguard and taking care of tourists who visited Sri Lanka in the future. Sri Lanka is going to reopen its tourism while taking necessary precautions at every point to assure the safety of both Sri Lankans and tourists. We encourage tourists to visit Magnificent Sri Lanka without hesitating and we, the Sri Lankans will take care of you! Come visit Sri Lanka; enjoy paradise while staying safe!

Let’s use the Sri Lankan Greeting “Ayubowan”

The Coronavirus spread by touching an infected person and it has revealed that 80% of all infections are transmitted via hands. The global COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a social awkwardness of shaking hands for greeting. The best alternative for handshaking is bringing your hands together in a prayer pose and nodding your head.

This is the common way of greeting in Sri Lanka. We say “Ayubowan”, meaning ‘may you have a longer life’. In this age of Coronavirus, this saying has the best meaning. We wish the person a long life, but thoughtfully not touching them with our hands. This greeting became worldwide popular during this pandemic period and obviously, it is going to replace the handshake in the future. May you have a long life! Ayubowan!