Despite President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s decision to impose a nationwide quarantine curfew from last night (20th), the country is still open to tourists, says Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga.
Minister Ranatunga said that the government has decided to continue treating airports and tourism services as essential services and added that it should not inconvenience tourists who have booked air tickets to visit the country.
Commenting on the minister’s statement, airport immigration officials said that at the moment, less than 25 tourists arrive from abroad daily, and most of them are those who work on local projects. They said Minister Ranatunga is so concerned regarding the difficulties of small tourist groups but does not have any idea that such moves would jeopardize the lives of the whole nation.
