Sri Lanka suspends ‘on-arrival’ visas to Chinese

Scanner checks people from China for Coronavirus at Bandaranaike International airport in Katunayake Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi stated that issuing ‘On Arrival Visa’ has been cancelled for tourists from China with immediate effect.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration said prospective Chinese visitors must now apply for visas through the online portal.

Accordingly, a new criterion will be used to grant visas to Chinese nationals.

The first confirmed case of Coronavirus was reported in Sri Lanka yesterday, after a Chinese national admitted at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) tested positive with the mysterious virus.

The 47-year old woman from Hubei Province in China had reportedly arrived as a tourist with another group of travelers and had been screened at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for having a high fever.