brand logo

Free hotel quarantine for Mid-East returnees

23 Apr 2021

Sri Lankan migrant workers in the Middle East are to undergo free hotel-based quarantine upon repatriation, according to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE). Speaking to The Morning, SLBFE Deputy General Manager and Spokesman Mangala Randeniya said that the Government spends around Rs. 50,000 for each worker for their PCR tests and hotel (facilities which are rated three star and below) accommodation-based quarantine for seven days. “We will decide which quarantine centres they would go to, according to the space available. Some might be sent to camps and others to hotels.” According to Randeniya, 423 workers from Kuwait and Jordan are now undergoing free hotel-based quarantine and some others are expected to arrive from Singapore. However, this facility is only provided for returning migrant workers registered under the SLBFE. He noted that the SLBFE is planning to complete the repatriation process within the next three months. Recently, Labour Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva instructed the SLBFE to formulate a system and to find suitable private hotels and resorts to provide free quarantine facilities which is an essential factor in the expeditious repatriation of migrant workers due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation. The SLBFE has informed the Minister that it has selected seven privately owned tourist hotels and resorts with the approval of the National Covid-19 Prevention Task Force, in order to set up quarantine centres at them. Hotel fees, food, and all other facilities will be provided by the SLBFE. The SLBFE spends Rs. 4,500 per day to keep one person in such quarantine centres and Rs. 8 million a week to provide these facilities for a full group. A returning worker will be kept in a centre for one week.  


More News..