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New quarantine directives: Improving traveller arrivals

18 Apr 2021

  • Directives focus on persons vaccinated and not vaccinated

With a considerable amount of the world population having received the full dosage of the Covid-19 vaccine, or at least the first dose, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) has issued updated quarantine directives that are to be followed by Sri Lankan nationals, dual nationals, and foreigners entering the country. Since more and more people seem to be opting to travel back, even the number of days they have to spend in quarantine hotels or quarantine facilities run by the State have been revised to ensure more persons can be accommodated. National Operation Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) Head and Army Commander Gen. Shavendra Silva stated: “These revisions were made following the request the national Covid-19 prevention task force forwarded to the health service authorities in March to encourage more Sri Lankans to return to the country and to revive the tourism industry at the same time. The new directives will allow better space management at quarantine facilities and allow whoever is fully vaccinated to be able to go to their homes directly if they have fulfilled the health screening checks.” Deputy DGHS Public Health Specialist Dr. S.M. Arnold, explaining the updated quarantine directives issued on 6 April, said that going forward, Sri Lankan nationals returning to the country will not have to obtain special permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to return to the country. “However, foreigners arriving in the country will still need the approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enter the country. In the meantime, those who wish to return to Sri Lanka under the repatriation programme will have to register with the respective embassy or consulate, and upon their approval, they can return to the country,” Dr. Arnold added. Speaking about the procedure regarding persons who have received the vaccine for Covid-19, Dr. Arnold noted that such persons, if they have completed 14 days since the inoculation, will only have to undergo a PCR test upon arrival, and if the test result is negative, they will not be subjected to quarantine. “If they are tested positive, then they will be referred to a Covid-19 treatment facility and they will undergo quarantine. However, those who have not received the full dosage of the vaccine, who choose to undergo quarantine at a hotel, will have to observe quarantine for seven days (at the respective hotel) and the rest of the seven days at their homes,” Dr. Arnold elaborated. Moreover, Dr. Arnold noted that those who choose to undergo quarantine at facilities maintained by the Government will be subjected to 10 days of quarantine, and if the PCR tests return negative, they are to observe home quarantine for the next four days. “What we need to keep in mind is that the 14-day mandatory quarantine period will remain the same; only the number of days one would wait at the hotel or quarantine facility has changed. This is to make sure we would be able to accommodate more persons in quarantine centres or hotels and allow more people to come back to the country,” Dr. Arnold explained. The names of persons who are completing their quarantine at home will be sent to the relevant Medical Officer of Health (MOH), and the MOH is responsible to closely monitor whether the persons are adhering to the guidelines. “Whoever violates the home quarantine guidelines will be sent to a quarantine facility. We also urge the public to act responsibly, so that they will not aid in spreading the virus to the rest of the community as a result of not adhering to health guidelines,” Dr. Arnold stressed. Civil Aviation Authority Director General and CEO Capt. Themiya Abeywickrama too had issued special directives in a 20-page document on quarantine and preventive measures for travellers and crew members arriving from overseas or on flights originating from Sri Lanka during the pandemic. “The document provides operational recommendations for all stakeholders involved in the aviation industry and at the airports. This special directive incorporates the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health, after careful deliberation and study of compatibility with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) standards,” Capt. Abeywickrama stated. The document details guidelines that should be followed by persons arriving in the country and has listed out the general measures and procedures for all travellers flying into Sri Lanka as well as criteria of traveller categorisation and vaccination criteria. The aforementioned guidelines have been issues with reference to:
  • Specific procedures in relation to residents of Sri Lanka, who are Sri Lankan passport holders, who have been fully vaccinated or not vaccinated
  • Specific procedures in relation to foreign passport holders (who are residents of Sri Lanka) who have been fully vaccinated or not vaccinated
  • Specific procedures in relation to those travelling as tourists who are Sri Lankan passport holders or foreign passport holders who have been fully vaccinated or not vaccinated
  • Specific procedures (irrespective of passport category) in relation to travellers below the age of 18 years and caretakers of children or special needs passengers who have been fully vaccinated or not vaccinated
  • Specific procedures in relation to airline crew based in Sri Lanka and foreign airline crew on a layover in Sri Lanka
  • Procedures for commercially important persons and business travellers flying into Sri Lanka, who have been fully vaccinated or not vaccinated
All attempts made by The Sunday Morning to contact Public Health Inspectors’ (PHI’s) Union President M.G.U. Rohana and Secretary M. Balasooriya proved futile.   PHOTO © REUTERS

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