Foreigners Disembarking from ships banned from entering country

By Sheain Fernandopulle   

Foreigners arriving in Sri Lanka by passenger ships will not be allowed to disembark because of the coronavirus risk and as a means to minimise the spread of the disease, Director General of Health, Dr. Anil Jasinghe said yesterday.

He said the arrival of passenger ships to the country had not been prohibited, but it was the disembarking of passengers that was banned considering the prevailing risks.   
“Most of the passenger ships worldwide carry people aged above 50, who are said to be the most susceptible to coronavirus (COVID-19) infection,” he said.   

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry said all passengers arriving in Sri Lanka from Italy, South Korea and Iran would be quarantined for 14 days as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.   

“All passengers arriving from the three countries will have to remain at home or in hospital for 14 days while it is also mandatory for them to share their details with the respective local public health inspectors so that they could take the necessary precautionary measures,” Dr. Jasinghe said. 

 
He said all health divisions are on high alert with preventive measures in place to mitigate the risk to the country though no positive cases of the coronavirus infection in Sri Lanka have been reported so far.