Sri Lanka officially reopened its airports for tourists today (January 21), following a 10-month closure propelled by the Covid-19 pandemic.

State Minister of Aviation and Export Zones Development D.V. Chanaka mentioned that tourists will be allowed to visit the island nation from today, however, they are required to comply with all health and safety precautions that have been put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.

Special health guidelines have been issued for the international travellers arriving in Sri Lanka while special safety measures were introduced in a bid to thwart the virus from entering the country.

Authorities have also set up a new procedure to separate tourists and other passengers arriving at airports.

The State Minister pledged to take steps to ensure the safety of passengers as well as airport employees.

The outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic forced the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) to close off airspace for international travellers since March 17 last year.

At the time, Sri Lanka had witnessed only 34 positive cases of Covid-19 with the death toll standing at zero, but when the airports are finally reopened after a prolonged closure, the country has confirmed 55,189 infections and 274 fatalities in total.