A proposal to operate travel bubbles for foreign tourists with a view to reopen Sri Lanka for tourism has received the approval of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The proposal was put forward before the cabinet of Ministers by Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga.
According to the Daily Mirror, the Minister said that a travel bubble has been proposed on the advise of health authorities.
The Ministry of Tourism said that President Rajapaksa had also held discussions with health authorities in this regard and has agreed that a travel bubble was the way forward for the tourism sector.
Minister Ranatunga further said that the guidelines to be followed by foreign tourists will be finalised by a joint- committee.
The committee is also expected to discuss its proposals with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the task force on the prevention of the coronavirus.
As per the guidelines, all foreign tourists will need to undergo PCR tests on arrival and seven days after arriving in the island, while they will also be required to have evidence of a negative PCR test 72 hours before arrival.
The foreign tourists will be required to stay a minimum of 14 days in the country.
The Tourism Ministry has proposed to convert at least one hotel into a quarantine centre in each city open for tourists to be prepared to face any eventuality.
The proposal further looks at the possibility of reopening the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in phases, with no more than 300 arrivals per day in total as the first phase.
Meanwhile, the Mattala International Airport (MRIA) is to be exclusively used for repatriation flights with first priority being given for the repatriation of Sri Lankan citizens. (NewsWire)