COLOMBO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan authorities decided to quarantine all passengers arriving in the country for 14 days even though they are fully vaccinated as a new COVID-19 variant was spreading across the country, local media reported on Thursday.
According to Sri Lanka's Health Ministry, all passengers including Sri Lankan citizens, foreigners, tourists and diplomats would have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine in designated centers in order to detect any virus carriers.
In addition, all incoming passengers would also be subject to a PCR test on arrival as well as at the end of their quarantine period.
Children below the age of two years would be exempted from the PCR tests, the Health Ministry said.
Sri Lanka has been facing a rapid rise in COVID-19 infections this month as a new variant of COVID-19 swept across the country, infecting younger people who were then in need of intensive care.
Health authorities warned that the rising number of infected patients might overburden the country's health system, as hospitals and Intensive Care Units were filled to the maximum with severely ill patients.
The army has said it would put up temporary treatment facilities in the worst-affected areas with more beds to assist the health workers to treat the growing number of patients.
With health experts warning that the situation might worsen in the coming weeks, Sri Lankan authorities declared a strict islandwide travel restriction from 11:00 p.m. Thursday to 4:00 a.m. Monday local time.
According to official figures, during the month of May over 20,000 new cases have been reported with an average of 2,500 patients being detected daily. Enditem