US diplomat refusing PCR test is so disappointing: Namal

Expressing disappointment over the incident where a senior diplomat of the US Embassy leaving the airport without a PCR test, former MP Namal Rajapaksa said what was needed now was cooperation and respect more than ever.

“Reports regarding a US diplomat refusing PCR tests at BIA are so disappointing. Vienna Convention or not, the world’s in the midst of a global pandemic and what we need more than ever is cooperation and respect of one another’s national frameworks which are put in place to save lives,” he tweeted.

Officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), after consulting the relevant ministries, have allowed the diplomat to leave the airport without a PCR test yesterday morning.

US Embassy said  that the arrival of US diplomatic staff to Sri Lanka complies with the norms and procedures outlined in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, just as it applies to arrival of Sri Lankan and other diplomatic staff to the United States.

Reports regarding a US diplomat refusing PCR tests at BIA is so disappointing. Vienna Convention or not, the world’s in the midst of a global pandemic & what we need more than ever is cooperation & respect of one another’s national frameworks which are put in place to save lives.

— Namal Rajapaksa (@RajapaksaNamal) June 4, 2020