The Public Health Inspectors have threatened to withdraw from COVID19-related duties if foreigners visiting the country fail to adhere to health and safety guidelines.

The PHI union said the government had still not implement a programme to ensure that the tourists arriving in the country strictly adhere to health guidelines and social distancing practices.

They said this could pose a massive risk to the public safety. Meanwhile, health experts have repeatedly pointed out that facilitating the arrival of tourists without a proper safety plan could bring new variants of COVID19 to the country.

The Sri Lankan government is working to revive the tourism sector which has been severely affected by the outbreak of the global pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns.

As part of a “pilot project” to revive tourism, the government has allowed several batches of Ukrainian tourists to visit the country. The project is still underway although Ukraine has announced a countrywide lockdown due to the spread of the virus.

However, the visiting Ukrainian tourists have come under severe fire for not adhering to safety guidelines. The project is coordinated by former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga, a close relative of the Rajapaksa family.