Sri Lanka temporarily prohibits international passenger arrivals

Civil Aviation Authority Sri Lanka (CAASL), via its official Facebook account, announced (17-Mar-2020) "all international Airports in Sri Lanka will be closed for operation of inward international commercial passenger flights (i.e arrivals) with effect from 0400hrs on 19 March 2020 (local time in Sri Lanka) until 2359hrs on 25 March 2020" (News Sri Lanka/Reuters/The New York Times/Colombo Page/Daily Financial Times/Economy Next, 17-Mar-2020). CAASL stated airports, including Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport, will still be permitted to handle international departures and international freight services during the period. Sri Lanka Government spokesperson Mohan Samaranayake confirmed the temporary prohibition of international arrivals and said the measure is aimed at preventing the transmission of coronavirus.