Monday Dec 16, 2024
Monday, 7 June 2021 00:30 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Tourism and Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has appointed a five-member Working Committee to ensure smoother arrangements when revising entry and exit rules due to COVID-19.
The members are Tourism and Aviation Ministry Secretary S. Hettiarachchi, Aviation State Ministry Secretary Madhawa Devasurendra, Civil Aviation Authority (CAASL) Director-General Capt. Themiya Abeywickrama, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Director-General Dhammika Wijayasinghe, SLTDA Advisor Nimesh Herath, CAASL Director Rayhan Wanniappa, and CAASL Senior Civil Aviation Inspector Dr. Bimal Dias.
The committee is tasked with performing a logical and timely analysis before passengers from a particular country are restricted from arriving and to streamline the mechanism to minimise disruption to the tourism and aviation industries as well as to passengers.
Following the third wave of COVID-19, the CAASL imposed travel restrictions on India, Vietnam, South Africa, and South American countries; and those with a travel history to any of these countries, even for transit purposes, within the past 14 days are not allowed to enter Sri Lanka.
The Minister has instructed the working committee to meet on a regular basis and when there is a special requirement.