FCDO relaxes travel advice for Sri Lanka
Will PayneThe Foreign Office has relaxed its travel advice for Sri Lanka and no longer advises against all but essential travel to the destination.
It comes after the FCDO strengthened its travel advisory to the destination last month due to "ongoing political and economic instability".
It followed several weeks of unrest in the country, which led to prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigning following a mass cabinet resignation. Several people died in clashes, and hundreds were reported to have been injured.
In a statement on its website, the FCDO said the economic situation in Sri Lanka remains "challenging", with shortages of basic necessities including medicines, cooking gas, fuel and food because of a lack of hard currency to pay for imports.
"There may be long queues at shops and supermarkets, fuel stations, and pharmacies," they added. "There may be difficulties or delays obtaining taxis and other public transport. There are ongoing daily power cuts due to electricity rationing."
A state of emergency in the country has been lifted, but some military presence remains on the streets. Curfews may be imposed at short notice.
Those who are currently in Sri Lanka, or plan to travel to the country, have been advised to check local information and stay away from protests.
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