CAA suspends flights from South Africa

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Saturday informed all airlines that passengers with a travel history to South American countries and South Africa would not be allowed to disembark in Sri Lanka, with immediate effect, until further notice.

CAA Director-General Themiya Abeywickrama said the airlines had been informed that the ban was on passengers with a travel history to these countries including transits during the past 14 days.

South Africa and South American countries are the latest addition to the already-imposed ban on incoming passengers with a travel history (including transit) from India and Vietnam in the past 14 days.

Recently Prof. Arjuna de Silva of the Kelaniya Medical Faculty over a live TV programme questioned why the country had still not closed its doors to passengers from countries with deadly mutations of the coronavirus, including South Africa, while calling on authorities to allow visitors from China and the UK to be allowed in as they had successfully implemented vaccination programmes.