The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka today reached out to British visitors on social media and encouraged them to return to the UK now while flights were available, a statement from the High Commission said.

In the messages, High Commissioner Sarah Hulton OBE noted that many British visitors had taken the UK Government’s advice to return home and noted that some British passport holders were in Sri Lanka visiting family. She reiterated the UK Government advice that all British nationals who normally live in the UK should return to the UK now.

“Serious outbreaks of coronavirus are placing a significant strain on health services globally. In the event of a serious outbreak in Sri Lanka, consular services and flights out of the country could be seriously affected. We cannot guarantee what flight options might be available if people choose to leave at a later date,” a press release form the British HC said, quoting the High Commissioner.

The British High Commission encouraged all British visitors to keep up to date by following travel advice at: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sri-lanka/coronavirus and @UKinSriLanka on Twitter for -to-date flight information. Qatar Airways currently operate flights daily from Colombo.