CONDITIONAL REPATRIATION REINTRODUCED

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Government of Sri Lanka will re-introduce conditional repatriation in the wake of the new strain of the coronavirus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release issued on Tuesday (Dec. 22). "Following the discovery of a fast-spreading new strain of coronavirus in certain countries, the Government of Sri Lanka has decided to continue with the existing procedure of obtaining prior approval from the Foreign Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority for all inbound travellers to Sri Lanka," the statement read. The revised guidelines on repatriation will be issued once the situation has been reappraised, the Foreign Ministry said. The directive comes in the wake of a new strain of COVID-19 spreading in the United Kingdom.