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German family stranded by curfew, unable to proceed
The stranded trio Pic by Sameera Weerasekara
A German family caught up in the strict curfew are stranded in Colombo, unable to pick up their baggage from Galle and leave the country.
The family, staying in a hotel in Colombo, say they are running out of funds to pay hotel bills and want to return home at the first available opportunity.
Arnd Lachermund, 62 and his Lankan-born wife Ms Santhoshini de Silva arrived from Germany on March 10. Their 26-year-old son, Gino, joined them from Dubai three days later.
All three of them received health declaration forms at the airport, but received no instruction on self-quarantine or registration at a police station.
However, on March 18 the Hikkaduwa Police visited them at the house they were living in in Galle, and advised them to register themselves.
Believing the curfew would be lifted soon, the family moved to Colombo as the son had to work remotely and required a better internet connection.
“When the curfew continued, we contacted the Fort Police and were instructed to register with the Medical Officer of Health who issued a certificate enabling them to leave the country. However, the police has been insisting on a health certificate,’ Gino said.
He said requests from his father to the MOH to visit them at the hotel and issue a health certificate was turned down. He said his father had contacted the Health Ministry too and had been told that there was no health certificate to be issued.
The German Embassy had issued a letter requesting the police to issue a curfew pass so that they could travel to Galle and pick up their baggage.
However, all their attempts to obtain a curfew pass have not been successful with the police insisting on a health certificate to obtain the curfew pass.
The Tourist Board or the Tourist Police have not been able to help while the family have been directed from one police officer to another, unable to get a curfew pass.
“We need a curfew pass in order to leave the hotel and go back to our rented house in Galle as we are paying double. No one can afford to stay in a hotel for so many weeks,” Gino said.
He said they were short of medicines and had only a few clothing items with them and needed to urgently go to Galle, collect the items and leave the country at the earliest.
CMC’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Ruwan Wijayamuni said that due to strict restrictions imposed on persons crossing district borders, they were not in a position to issue a certificate enabling them to travel.