The Sri Lanka Missions in South Asia, in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry, have been closely engaging with the Sri Lankan communities overseas and are working towards assisting and facilitating the many Sri Lankan expatriates in the region in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic. Mission wise, databases of Sri Lankan students and other expatriates are being compiled by the Missions with a view to keeping in close contact and ensuring their welfare at all times.

The Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Guangzhou coordinated the collection of donation items worth RMB 75,000, consisting 35 boxes(501.8 kg) of protective clothing and medical equipment from the Sri Lankan community in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan and other areas of China and arranged its transportation as diplomatic cargo through Shanghai, with the assistance of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Shanghai, for urgent distribution among Medical and other frontline staff fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic in Sri Lanka. The cargo left for Sri Lanka from Shanghai through a Sri Lankan Airlines flight on 28 March 2020.

Consulate of Sri Lanka in Guangzhou, 30 March 2020

The Federal Foreign Office of Germany has informed that the Immigration Authorities of the federal states will follow the simplified procedures in extending visas (Residence permit (D visa) and Schengen visa (C visa)) of the foreign nationals who could not leave Germany due to the current restrictions in international travel and the associated difficulties before the expiry of the validity of the visa or residence permit.

Over 17,457 Overseas Sri Lankans (OSL) had by Saturday noon(28 March) registered on the ‘Contact Sri Lanka’ Online Portal of the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Of these, 6773 are from the Middle East region, 1892 from Europe, 1302 from South Asia, 1028 from North America and over 6000 from other parts of the world.