Sri Lanka lifts ban on travellers from African countries

10 Dec, 2021

Sri Lanka has lifted the ban imposed on travellers from a number of African countries.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that travellers from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini will now be allowed into Sri Lanka.

Passengers who had been to any one of those countries were not be permitted to disembark in Sri Lanka with effect because of the new Covid variant Omicron.

The new variant was first detected in South Africa on 24 November, and has also been identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.

A number of countries have already banned or restrict travel to and from southern Africa.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the number of cases of this variant, initially named B.1.1.529, appeared to be increasing in almost all of South Africa?s provinces.?(Colombo Gazette)

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