90 Sri Lankans have died abroad due to COVID-19 so far

7 November 2020 05:01 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 9 Bookmark

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The number of Sri Lankan nationals, died abroad from COVID-19 has increased to 90, Foreign Affairs Ministry (FAM) told Daily Mirror today.

The majority were low-skilled migrant workers in Middle Eastern countries from where 74 deaths have been reported including 31 from Saudi Arabia.

Country	Number
Saudi Arabia	31
Kuwait	20
United Arab Emirates (UAE)	10
Qatar	6
United Kingdom (UK)	5
Oman	4
USA	4
Canada	4
Bahrain	2
Germany	2
Israel	1
Italy	1
TOTAL	90

Foreign Affairs Ministry, complying with international COVID-19 related health and protection standards had imposed several conditions for the family members who had requested the bodies of their loved ones, succumbed to the virus, to be repatriated.

Accordingly, some of the bodies were brought back to Sri Lanka. Yet, as per the main condition, the bodies were directly transported to the nearest crematorium where only the closest family members were allowed in.

Despite the repatriation process of Sri Lankans stranded abroad since the pandemic, is currently on halt, the FAM said 44, 033 Sri Lankans from 125 countries have so far been repatriated and 17,600 of them were from Middle Eastern countries.

However, it further said 56, 000 more Sri Lankans are still to be repatriated. (Piyumi Fonseka)

Comments - 9

Lanka putha Saturday, 07 November 2020 05:22 PM

Don't know about other countries stats but it is far more than 5 deaths in UK because some don't even get reported

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Shihan Saturday, 07 November 2020 06:20 PM

Your quite right

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Trishal Saturday, 07 November 2020 06:22 PM

More People have died in Italy, and Korea and France and India. But, it looks like Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Ministry does not even have an updated data base

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Perera Saturday, 07 November 2020 06:41 PM

GOSL is responsible for these deaths as the govt. did not allow its citizens to return to island.

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Moorthy Badulla Saturday, 07 November 2020 06:57 PM

Teat this as an RED ALERT. What we faced in March April is just a rehearsal with election just around the corner. But we face today is the one that those countries have been experiencing since then. Don't treat this with a sense of complacency just comparing 30 with 90.

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Ranaweera Saturday, 07 November 2020 07:20 PM

Someone is blaming the government for the death of these Lankans. Except for few , most of them were well settled persons in those countries. They would not have wanted to come to Sri Lanka any way. Besides, there are just couple of flights operating. Guys these are unprecedented times. If you get Covid and you die it is your fate. Governments cannot save individuals but are working hard to contain it . But even local Sri Lankan people were against bringing back their country men during the first wave of the covid.

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Kathirgaman Saturday, 07 November 2020 07:36 PM

Very sad to learn.All these poor immigrants left the country for a better future. At least now the gouvernment should focus on our immigrants workers in Arab countries.

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Grace Saturday, 07 November 2020 08:04 PM

What is happening to the money our emigrant workers Paying to the Foreign Employment office?

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FF Saturday, 07 November 2020 08:46 PM

CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY GOVT IS PUBLISHING THIS INFORMATION THAT IS NOT EVEN ACCURATE. MAY BE TO PROVE THAT THE DEATHS ARE LESSOR IN LANKA. WILL THE GOVT PAY COMPENSATION

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