COLOMBO: The Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka has stated that 98 Sri Lankan expatriates have died due to COVID-19 related health complications with most of the victims being Sri Lankans working in the Middle-East, according to local media reports.
Of those who have died, 35 were Sri Lankans in Saudi Arabia, 21 in Kuwait, 10 in UAE, six in Qatar and one Sri Lankan expatriate in Israel. In addition, five Sri Lankan have died in United Kingdom, four in the United States, four in Canada and two each in Bahrain, Germany and Italy.
Army Commander and Head of the National Operation Center for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak, Lt. General Shavendra Silva said that authorities will resume the repatriation process to bring back stranded Sri Lankans from overseas, mainly from the Middle East by next week after it was halted due to the sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in the island. The repatriation process will give priority to the most vulnerable and deserving cases.
Sri Lanka has made arrangements for five special flights to repatriate Sri Lankans from Italy, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman. The Sri Lankan returnees will be subjected to PCR tests and will be sent to government run quarantine centers or paid quarantine facilities. Accordingly, 20 Sri Lankans stranded in UAE and 16 others stranded in Japan arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) on November 13. They were subjected to PCR tests upon their arrival at the BIA and sent to hotels for mandatory quarantine.
Director General East Asia at the Foreign Ministry, Kandeepan Balasubramaniam said that 290 persons will arrive in Sri Lanka on November 18, on paid quarantine. basis, while 100 persons are scheduled to arrive in the country on November 20 from Italy. This group would include Sri Lankan students residing in Italy who wish to sit for the Ordinary Level examination in Sri Lanka.
A special flight for 297 persons identified as vulnerable persons, including pregnant women and patients with illnesses, is scheduled to arrive from Qatar on November 21. Another flight with 297 persons from Kuwait is scheduled to arrive on November 23 on paid quarantine basis, while a further 290 citizens will arrive from Oman on November 26.
Sri Lanka’s Consulate General in Dubai in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Business Council, charity and welfare organisation Sahana, and other good Samaritans have been helping a group of stranded Sri Lankan nationals, who took refuge in a community park in Dubai in the UAE.
The Khaleej Times newspaper quoted Vishwa Thilakarathna, a board member with Sahana as saying that the stranded Sri Lankans will be moved into safe homes and shelters with priority being given to women. He said that they will be screened by the Sri Lankan mission in Dubai as some have accommodation and means to survive, but have resorted to staying in the park to get priority on the return flight to Colombo.
“We are providing them with boxes of food, water and other essential supplies on a daily basis. The most deserving ones will be moved to the shelters after the screening,” he added.
The newspaper quoted Sri Lankan Consul General in Dubai Nalinda Wijerathna as saying that the mission-sponsored shelters can accommodate only 160 people at a given time. He also said that at any given time, only 7,000 international returnees can be placed in government quarantine centres in Sri Lanka. Since the outbreak, over 9,200 Sri Lankans have been repatriated from the UAE.
The Foreign Ministry urges all prospective Sri Lankan travellers both inbound and outbound to be cautious of individuals who demand payment, a fee or any form of financial charges to facilitate entry to Sri Lanka or any third country. The Foreign Ministry said that no individual or entity is authorised by the Sri Lankan Government to facilitate entry to or exit from Sri Lanka other than the Government institutions concerned.
Those who reside overseas may contact their nearest Sri Lanka Embassy, Sri Lanka High Commission or Consulate General for further and authentic information or register their concerns on the Contact Sri Lanka portal.
