Foreigners to be charged US$ 65 for PCR tests at airport from Aug. 1

From August 1, foreigners will be required to pay US$ 65 as charges for PCR tests to determine if they are free of COVID-19 before they are allowed into the country, the Tourism Ministry Secretary S. Hettiaarachchi said.

He said under new health guidelines, foreigners would be required to stay on for 24 hours in a location close to the airport until the PCR test report was made available. If the report was negative, they would be allowed to proceed on their tour.

The measures have been outlined in a 70-page guideline finalised this week to revive the tourism industry.

Under the guidelines, tourists would be required to stay in the country at least for five nights and would have to under go a another mandatory PCR test on the fifth day of the stay, he said.

The foreign tourists would not be allowed to use public transport and would be able to stay only in designated hotels which have obtained a certificate from the health authorities.

The secretary said the foreign tourists would be required to download a mobile app which woul help to trace their locations at any given time. Measures would also be taken to obtain reports of their daily temperature and on departure, too, they would be required to undergo a PCR test.