7 November 2020 05:01 pm Views - 3843
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)