Former Minister Basl Rajapaksa has suddenly left for the United States of America, informed government sources said.

Rajapaksa is a citizen of the US and heads the Presidential Task Force looking into the economic impact of COVID19.

The former minister has left the country while Sri Lanka is battling the third wave of the pandemic which has caused unprecedented damage to human lives and to the economy.

Sources close to Rajapaksa said he left for the US for medical reasons.