Irish citizens have been advised against “non-essential travel” to Sri Lanka in the wake of the bombings that rocked the country on Easter Sunday that killed 253 people.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has updated the travel advice listed on its website to one of the highest warnings and issued several pieces of advice to anyone currently in Sri Lanka or planning to travel there.
It reads, ‘The Sri Lanka government announced that a State of Emergency would come into effect from Tuesday, April 23, and security has been increased throughout the country.
‘In light of the ongoing volatile security situation in Sri Lanka, we advise Irish citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Sri Lanka at this time.
‘If you are in Sri Lanka we advise that you should exercise a high degree of caution, to follow the instructions and advice of local authorities, to avoid large crowds and public spaces, and to stay indoors where possible.’
A curfew is currently in place between 10pm and 4am each night, though tourists with flight tickets are still allowed to travel to the airport during those hours.
They advised Irish people in Sri Lanka to ‘exercise a high degree of caution, to follow the instructions and advice of local authorities, to avoid large crowds and public spaces, and to stay indoors where possible’.
The Guardian reports that the UK Foreign Office issued a similar update on Thursday ‘due to the current evolving security situation’ following the attacks.
It also advised citizens that, ‘Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Sri Lanka. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.’
However, they stressed that these steps were a necessary precaution and not down to any new information.
You can find more information from the Department of Foreign Affairs here.
