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Tuesday, 31 March 2020 01:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Sri Lanka Embassy is in contact with students and other Sri Lankan nationals in Nepal, to ensure they are in a safe and protected environment and have access to food and other necessities during the nationwide lockdown declared by the Government of Nepal due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the embassy said in a press release yesterday.
It said that a total of 90 students in Pokhara and Kathmandu, as well as four adults who are in Nepal on short-term visits and were unable to return due to disruption in international travel, had requested assistance to return to Sri Lanka as of now and appreciated the assurances given by the respective academic institutions where the Sri Lankan students are enrolled that hostel, canteen and medical facilities will continue to be available to the students.
The embassy also drew attention to the request by the Government of Sri Lanka to Sri Lankan expatriates on 27 March to remain in their current locations until the risk of the COVID-19 virus is minimised in Sri Lanka.
“International arrivals have been stopped by the Government in order to prevent the virus from coming into the country and spreading. However, the Government has assured that the requests for return by Sri Lankans will be considered once the spread of the virus is contained in the island,” the release said.