Sri Lanka’s leisure sector based associations representatives expressed satisfaction on various steps taken by the government at Airports, Ports, Hospitals and other locations to curb the spread of the Coronavirus to Sri Lanka.
Travel representatives met with local Health Ministry disease control and airport top officials at the Tourism Ministry, who briefed them on the Coronavirus, the spread of it and steps taken to control it. “We are happy with the precautions taken by the government.”
It was disclosed that passengers arriving from China based flights are separated from other tourists and questioned and scanned before they are released.
“If we find suspected cases through our advanced and World Health Organization(WHO) approved methods including thermal scanning, they would be send to the IDH Hospital in Angoda for further tests.”
Senior Health Ministry officials assured that only one Corona Virus patient (Chinese) was identified and cured so far and four more Chinese and 14 Sri Lankans have been tested in 5 hospitals for the virus.
An official of the Airport Aviation said that all airports have thermal scanners or manual testing methods to detect suspected Coronavirus affected patients, while so far no one had been detected at any Airport.
All passengers bound for Sri Lanka would be given a declaration form on flights where their travel patterns should be declared, while those would be scanned by health officials before they are released. In addition, an Instruction Manuel in English, Tamil and Chinese too would be provided free of charge.
This procedure would be followed even at the Ratmalana and Jaffna Airports and Colombo Port too.
Local Health Authorities too would consult doctors on board cruise ships bound for Sri Lanka (in mid sea) on the passengers’ health situation and taken precautionary measures as and when needed.
Anyone returning from the Coronavirus spread countries should take a self-isolation for 10 days and if they feel ill, they should not see their doctor or go to hospital, but contact the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) of the area, who would take him/her in a special ambulance to the designated hospital for treatment.
Doctors who were present at the Tourism briefing, said that the trail of the Chinese national who was identified with the Coronavirus was identified and all counter precautionary measures were taken even at the last hotel where the patient stayed which was RIU Ahungalle. “The hotels and staff were very cooperative.”
Health authorities said that the Coronavirus is spread within a period of 2 days to 12 days from one patient to another, but Sri Lanka possesses world class health facilities to cure patients and foreigners need not worry to visit Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Kimali Fernando, said that Chinese nationals have to submit their visa applications while in China before arriving in Sri Lanka and after a thorough scrutinizing, the applicant’s province and other information visa would be granted.
“Sri Lanka Tourism is monitoring the Coronavirus situation closely and have taken concrete measures to strengthen the detection and management at all arrival and departure points.
Steps have already been taken to create an awareness on the outbreak among tourism industry stakeholders and accordingly, the Tourism and Health Ministries are working closely to combat the spread of the Coronavirus within all tourist hot spots in the country.”
No flights to China had been cancelled, but arrivals have dropped by around 40% and other arrivals by 5%.
“It is too early to comment on its impact to the industry, but certainly there would be a negative bearing.”
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