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Digitalised health declaration for all inbound travellers

15 Dec 2021

  • Implementation of form from 1 Jan. to prevent airport delays
BY Pamodi Waravita Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena said yesterday (15) that the Ministry of Health will be requiring a digitalised health declaration form from all travellers to Sri Lanka, both locals and foreigners, in order to reduce the time taken at the airports after they arrive in the country. “All travellers will be able to download a Quick Response (QR) code from January and declare their health digitally. Prior to this, travellers could fill a form manually at the airports after arrival or scan a QR code prior to arrival. This created a big delay at the airports. That is why we are requiring a digital copy from 1 January,” said Dr. Gunawardena. He also said that if it is impossible for a traveller to declare their health digitally, then a manual form will be made available. However, Dr. Gunawardena requested all travellers to prioritise the digital option for the ease of both airport officials and the travellers. He also said the existing health guidelines within the country have been extended for 15 more days and requested all those over the age of 20 years to immediately get the booster shot if they are eligible for it. This announcement comes after the Omicron variant was named as a variant of concern (VOC) by the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently. It was first detected in South Africa, and cases with this particular variant have been reported in the US, Europe, and Japan, amongst many other places. India on 2 December reported its first two cases of the Omicron variant, whilst Sri Lanka reported its first case on 3 December.


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