Washington: The US has warned its citizens against traveling to the island country amid the ongoing unrest in Sri Lanka due to the economic crisis. The US warned its citizens on Wednesday, pointing to a shortage of fuel and medicine in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorist threats.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. Sri Lankans have been protesting for weeks over long power cuts and shortages of gas, food and other basics. Public anger has forced almost all cabinet ministers to resign and now Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is also under constant pressure to step down.
The Ministry of External Affairs has placed Sri Lanka in Level-3 in its new advisory. The advisory said, “Reconsider traveling to Sri Lanka in view of COVID-19, shortage of fuel and medicines. Military exercises have been increased due to terrorist threats. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level-3 Travel Health Notice for Sri Lanka due to COVID-19, pointing to the high risk of COVID-19 in the country.
“If you have had vaccines authorized by the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA), your risk of becoming infected or developing serious symptoms even if infected is low,” the notice said. Please, consider CDC’s specific suggestions regarding vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers.”
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The Ministry of External Affairs said Sri Lanka is facing shortage of fuel and cooking gas as well as some medicines and essential food items due to the economic crisis in the country. “Recently, there have been protests over the economic crisis and long queues were also seen outside gas stations, grocery stores and some medicine shops,” the ministry said. There have been protests across the country, most of them peaceful. However, at some places, the police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters.
There are also daily power cuts across the island nation, the ministry said. Travelers should check local media reports for updated information on the current situation. The travel advisory said that terrorists could be found at tourist places, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, government institutions, hotels, clubs, restaurants, religious places, parks, major sports centres, cultural events and educational institutions, airports, with little or no warning. May attack hospitals and other public areas. Significantly, Sri Lanka is currently facing the worst economic crisis. Due to the shortage of foreign exchange in the country, there has been a shortage of essential commodities like fuel and cooking gas. There is power cut for several hours every day.
The Sri Lankan government said on Wednesday that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would not resign under any circumstances and that he would face the current issues. Rajapaksa imposed a state of emergency on April 1 in the wake of widespread protests over the country’s worsening economic crisis and demands for his resignation. The government also defended Rajapaksa’s decision to impose emergency, which was later withdrawn. (agency)