Colombo, Oct 5 (IANS): Sri Lankan authorities said that foreign nationals and dual citizens holding foreign passports will no longer be required to obtain approval from the local Civil Aviation Authority and the Foreign Ministry to arrive in the country following the easing of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sri Lanka's Health Services Director General Asela Gunawardena said in a new circular amending the quarantine measures for travellers arriving from overseas during the pandemic that the requirement to obtain approval from these two institutions for foreign nationals and dual citizens to arrive in the country had been cancelled with immediate effect, reports Xinhua news agency.

The guideline come into effect last year when Sri Lanka was facing a rise in Covid-19 cases, making it mandatory for all arrivals to undergo a 14-day quarantine in a government centre or paid facility.

Health authorities said as the Covid-19 spread caused by the highly contagious Delta variant was now easing across the nation, several guidelines were now relaxed including opening the country for tourism under strict health rules.

This included wearing face masks, maintaining social distance and maintaining hand hygiene.

Sri Lanka has since March last year detected 520,432 cases of Covid-19 and recorded 13,059 deaths from the virus.

A 42-day nationwide quarantine curfew was lifted on October 1 after health experts said the cases of infection had decreased and the death toll had also dropped.