Sri Lanka: Officials impose additional movement curbs through May 31 due to COVID-19 activity /update 50

Event

Sri Lanka is banning nonessential vehicular and public movement through 04:00 May 17 due to COVID-19 activity. Similar curbs will apply nightly 23:00-04:00 May 17-31. Cargo transit, delivery services, and industrial operations are unaffected. Residents must stay home except for essential, emergency, and employment purposes. People exiting homes for permitted activities 04:01-22:59 must adhere to an odd-even rule; those with an even National Identity Card or passport number may go out on even days and vice versa. Those on emergency trips and essential workers with valid employment passes are typically exempt from such curbs.

Ongoing business, gathering, and transport restrictions remain active under a Level Three alert through May 31. Nonessential inter-provincial travel also remains suspended nationwide; public transport services along such routes remain limited to essential workers. Private and public gatherings are banned, except for permitted events. Transport services and most establishments are operating at a maximum of 50-percent capacity; grooming and recreational facilities are closed. The use of facemasks remains mandatory in public. All workplaces must utilize telecommuting to the extent possible and collect and update employee details to facilitate contact tracing if and when necessary. Officials may reintroduce or implement stricter nationwide measures in the coming weeks.

Additionally, security forces continue to enforce curfews across high-risk areas with COVID-19 cases at short notice. Under curfew restrictions, all nonessential businesses, except for specifically permitted industries, must close in designated areas. Essential shops, such as pharmacies and grocery stores, may open intermittently or provide delivery services. Officials advise those living in or with recent travel history to curfew areas to monitor their health and undergo COVID-19 tests if symptoms occur. Such measures will likely continue in Anuradhapura, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kalutara, Kandy, Kurunegala, Puttalam, and Trincomalee districts, due to elevated disease activity.

Travel Restrictions
Since May 6, Sri Lankan authorities are indefinitely banning entry for passengers with travel history to India in the past 14 days. Travelers from India may transit through Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) to destinations outside of Sri Lanka but cannot enter Sri Lanka. International flights to and from CMB and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) are operational. An online visa application system is operating for nationals of most foreign countries. Permitted entrants must quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility, regardless of nationality and vaccination status. The measure, which also affects diplomats and officials, is active through May 31. Outbound passenger flights to nations banning entry from Sri Lanka may be limited in the coming days; affected locations include the UAE as of May 14.

Arrivals must provide a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of flight and a completed health declaration form. Passengers must take another PCR test upon arrival and stay at a Level 1 or Level 2 hotel for 14 days; they must receive an additional PCR test between 11 and 14 days after arrival. Foreigners already in Sri Lanka may apply to extend their visas. Most outbound passengers must take RT-PCR tests within 72 hours before departure; foreign nationals and holders of official or diplomatic visas may be exempt. International passenger ships such as cruises and ferries are barred indefinitely, though port operations for goods transport continue.

Advice

Follow all official instructions. Abide by national health and safety measures. Reconfirm all travel arrangements. Consider delaying traveling if experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, as they may prompt increased scrutiny and delays. Liaise with trusted contacts for further updates and guidance. Maintain contact with your diplomatic representation. Ensure that contingency plans account for further disruptive measures or extensions of current restrictions. Reconsider and reconfirm nonemergency health appointments. Plan for queues and delays at available shopping centers.

Resources

World Health Organization (WHO)
Ministry of Health Sri Lanka
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Tourism Board
Civil Aviation Authority Email Address