Colombo: Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has ordered the temporary suspension of foreigners arriving in Sri Lanka for crew changes after several Indian seafarers found to be COVID-19 positive.

Participating in a media briefing, Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Bandula Gunawardena stated that the reason for the order is that it has been confirmed that a large number of Indian nationals arrived recently have been infected with the coronavirus.

It has been reported that 29 Indian crew members arrived in chartered flight from Mumbai on Monday were found to be COVID-19 positive.

Ship managers and crewing firms looking to rotate Indian crew in overseas locations are using Colombo as a hub for crew change using chartered flights.

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