The COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The first case of the virus in Sri Lanka was confirmed on 27 January 2020, after a 44-year-old Chinese woman from Hubei, China, was admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital in Angoda, Sri Lanka. As of 15 December 2022, a total of 671,776 COVID-19 cases had been recorded in the country, 654,919 patients had recovered from the disease, and 16,814 patients had died.
The first reported case involving a Sri Lankan outside the country was reported in Italy on 3 March 2020. As of 23 March 2020, forty-five quarantine centres had been built in the country by the Sri Lanka Army as a preventative measure in an attempt to stop the spread of the pandemic. Nearly 3,500 people were placed under quarantine in 45 quarantine centres, including 31 foreigners from 14 countries. As of 25 March 2020, Sri Lankan authorities tracked down over 14,000 people who had come into contact with identified patients, and ordered those people to self-quarantine. As of 16 April 2020, Sri Lanka was named the 16th highest-risk country for contracting the virus. In April 2020, Sri Lanka's response to the pandemic was ranked as the 9th best in the world.
Although Sri Lanka was successful in handling the first wave of the pandemic, the government's failure to handle the second and the third waves of the pandemic caused a spike in COVID-19 deaths after November 2020. There was a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases after the relaxation of health restrictions during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April 2021. The highly contagious Delta variant was responsible for the considerably high fatality rate in the country in August 2021, when Sri Lanka became the country with the fourth-largest number of daily deaths in the world by population, behind just Georgia, Tunisia, and Malaysia. Government negligence in implementing a lockdown, negligent behaviour of the general public, and teachers' protests have all contributed to the record spike of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country.
On 20 August 2021, government imposed a ten-day lockdown island-wide to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases. The decision to lockdown the country came following the immense pressure from the health authorities and the political parties who demanded complete lockdown after Sri Lanka surpassed 1,000 deaths over the course of eight days. It is believed that the COVID-19 cases in the country are underreported by the officials and allegations regarding the manipulation of details regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in the country were also raised.
Some businesses imposed a voluntary lockdown for a period of 10 to 14 days during the early parts of August when the government refused to impose a lockdown due to the worsening situation of the economy. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka raised interest rates in August 2021, and Sri Lanka became the first nation in Asia to tighten the monetary policy during the pandemic era. On 27 August 2021, the government extended the lockdown to 6 September 2021 as the daily death toll surpassed 200 for the first time since the pandemic began.
Background
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. This illness had been reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.
While the case fatality ratio for COVID-19 was much lower than the SARS outbreak in 2003, its transmission rate of the virus was significantly greater with a significant total death toll. Quarantine law in Sri Lanka is governed by the Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance No 3 of 1897.
Timeline
First wave (until October 2020)
27 January – 9 March 2020
Prior to 27 January, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health instructed staff at Bandaranaike International Airport to screen passengers for symptoms. Additionally, the ministry issued a recommendation that infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people who have chronic diseases should avoid visiting crowded places when possible. The Ministry of Health set up a 22-member National Action Committee to help limit the spread of the virus. The Department of Immigration and Emigration informed all construction sites with Chinese resident visa holders to restrict their Chinese employees to their respective workplaces and lodgings.
On 27 January, the first confirmed case of the virus was reported in Sri Lanka, a 44-year-old Chinese woman from Hubei Province in China. She had arrived as a tourist with another group of travellers and had been screened at the Bandaranaike International Airport after having a high fever. She fully recovered and was released from the hospital on 19 February.
Following the first reported case of COVID-19, demand for face masks in the country increased and the country began to face a mask shortage. Some pharmacies in the country had sold all their face masks and there were reports from customers that face masks were being sold at over 10 to 20 times the original price; as a result, the country's drug regulatory agency placed price controls on face masks. 33 Sri Lankan students and families were evacuated from Wuhan on 1 February and quarantined at a military facility at Diyatalawa. They were released after two weeks on 14 February.
During first week of March, visitors from Italy, Iran, and South Korea have been required to quarantine for two weeks at one of two facilities. On 10 March 186 people (164 Sri Lankan nationals, 20 Italian nationals, and 2 South Korean nationals) were placed under quarantine in Batticaloa.
10–23 March 2020
On 10 March, the first case of COVID-19 in a Sri Lankan citizen, a 52-year-old tour guide working with a group of Italians, was reported. After testing positive, he was brought to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Angoda for treatment. 29 patients received treatment in government hospitals, including eight foreigners. Sri Lanka suspended all on-arrival visas for tourists on 11 March.
On 12 March, another Sri Lankan citizen tested positive for COVID-19, a 44-year-old person, who had reportedly stayed with the first Sri Lankan patient diagnosed with the virus.
On 13 March, three more patients tested positive for the virus in Sri Lanka. One of them was a 41-year-old Sri Lankan male who had arrived from Germany, and was admitted to the IDH in Angoda. The other two patients were from a group of people who had been quarantined at a facility in Kandakadu. One was a 37-year-old who had arrived from Italy, and was treated at the Polonnaruwa Hospital, Polonnaruwa. The other was a 43-year-old male who had also arrived from Italy, and he was sent to the Infectious Disease Hospital in Angoda.
On 14 March, five patients tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka; four of them returned from Italy. It was also reported that one of the co-pilots of SriLankan Airlines became infected with the coronavirus and attended the annual Royal–Thomian Big Match between S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, and the Royal College, Colombo.
On 15 March, seven people tested positive, making the overall case count 18. The surge of new cases caused the government to declare 16 March a public holiday, which was extended to 19 March. On 16 March, 10 more people tested positive for a total of 28, and on 17 March, another 15 people tested positive, increasing the total to 43. On 17 March, the secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Kamal Gunaratne revealed that around 170 passengers who returned from Italy and South Korea had skipped the quarantine procedure.
On 18 March, two people fully recovered from the disease while seven people tested positive, bringing the total case count to 50. On 19 March, nine more people tested positive, bumping the total case count to 59. One patient at the Ragama Hospital exposed several staff to the virus, and the entire hospital ward had to be closed down and the staff were quarantined. On 20 March, 11 people tested positive for a total case count of 70. Most of the new cases on that day were reported from the Gampaha district. On 21 March, six more people tested positive, pushing the total case count to 77. An army officer who escorted Sri Lankans to quarantine centres also contracted the disease.
On 22 March, the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Jaffna was recorded. The patient was believed to have maintained close relationships with a senior pastor who had tested positive for COVID-19. Five more people tested positive for the virus on 22 March, making the total number of cases 82. On 23 March, five people tested positive for a total case count of 87. On 23 March, the country's first citizen who had tested positive was released from the hospital after showing improvement during recovery.
24–31 March 2020
On 24 March, the assistant of a church pastor was reported to have tested positive for COVID-19. A father-son duo who attended Friday Jummah prayers on 20 March at the Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque also tested positive for COVID-19. Six more cases were reported on 25 March, bringing the total case count to 106. No new confirmed cases were reported in the country on 26 March and 27 March, according to Army General Shavendra Silva.
On 26 March, a recent returnee from abroad contracted COVID-19, and came into contact with 26 people in his village, which entered a lockdown. The next day, the father and sister of the patient tested positive for COVID-19, and they were admitted to the Kalutara Nagoda Hospital. Three villages were placed under lockdown: Bandaragama-Atalugama, Kandy-Akurana, and Puttalam-Kadayamkulam.
On 28 March, the first confirmed death from COVID-19 was recorded in Sri Lanka: a 60-year-old patient from Marawila who had a kidney transplant and had a history of diabetes and high blood pressure. The body was cremated within 15 hours. On 30 March, the second death from COVID-19, a 60-year-old man from Negombo, was reported. Five more people tested positive for COVID-19, including a four-month-old baby on 30 March, bringing the total to 122.
On 30 March, five villages in Beruwala with a total population of over 100 were quarantined after an airport driver tested positive for the virus.
1 April 2020 – 15 April 2020
On 4 April, Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe confirmed the death of a fifth patient from COVID-19, and their body was cremated in the afternoon. On the same day, seven more patients were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, bringing the total case count to 162.
On 4 April, Anton Sebastianpillai, a Sri Lankan-born British geriatrician and author, died after testing positive for COVID-19.
On 5 and 6 April, 12 new COVID-19 cases were recorded and on next day for a total case count of 178. On 7 April, an 80-year-old male from Dehiwala died, and became the sixth person to die from COVID-19. On the same day, seven more patients tested positive for the disease, bringing the total case count to 185. On 8 April, four patients tested positive for COVID-19, increasing the total case count to 189, and the seventh COVID-19-related death was reported. On 9 and 10 April, nine people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total case count to 197.
On 12 April, 11 people tested positive for the virus. On 13 April, eight people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total case count to 218. On 14 April, 15 people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 233.
16 April 2020 – 30 April 2020
On 17 April, seven new cases were reported. Between 18 and 19 April, 27 people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 271.
On 20 April, 33 people from Colombo tested positive for COVID-19, increasing the total case count to 303; it was the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a single day until 26 April. On 23 April, 38 people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 368; 30 of the cases were sailors from the Welisara Navy camp that placed people under quarantine. On 24 April, 52 people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total up to 420. Over 60 navy personnel tested positive within 2 days. These officers had been on duty in Ja-Ela when they were exposed.
On 25 April, 40 people tested positive for COVID-19. On 26 April, 62 new cases of the virus were reported, including several from naval bases. On 27 April, 65 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total to 588. On 28 April, 31 people tested positive for the virus, which brought the total to 619. On 29 April, 30 new cases were reported for a total of 649. On 30 April, 16 new cases were reported.
1 May 2020 – 21 May 2020
On 1 May, 25 people tested positive for the virus. On 2 May, the 700th COVID-19 patient became infected, along with 14 other patients. The total number of cases increased to 705, with 182 patients recovering. On 3 May, 13 more people tested positive for the virus. On 4 May, Sri Lanka reported its 8th COVID-19 death. 37 people tested positive for the virus on the same day.
On 5 May, another person died of the virus for a total death count of 9. On the same day, 16 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total case count to 771. On 6 May, 29 people tested positive for COVID-19, mostly navy personnel, bringing the total case count up to 797.
On 7 May, Sri Lanka recorded its 800th COVID-19 patient, along with 27 others. On 8 and 9 May, 23 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total to 847. On 10 May, 16 people tested positive for COVID-19, 13 of which were Sri Lankan Navy officers.
On 11 May, six people tested positive for the virus. On 12 May, 20 people tested positive for the virus, which increased the total case count to 889. On 13 May, the total case count exceeded 900 with 26 new COVID-19 cases. On 14 May, 10 people tested positive, bringing the total to 925. On 15 May, 10 more people tested positive for the disease. On 16 May, the total case count increased to 960.
On 17 May, the total case count rose to 981 with 21 new cases. The next day, the case count increased to 992 with 11 new cases. On 19 May, 35 people tested positive for the virus, which brought the total case count to 1,027 total cases. On 20 May, one person tested positive for the virus. On 21 May, another 27 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total to 1,055.
22 May 2020 – 28 June 2020
On 22 May, 13 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total case count to 1068. On the next day, the total increased to 1089 with 21 new cases, 19 of which were Sri Lanka Navy sailors. Until 24 May, the Sri Lanka Army maintained 26 quarantine facilities.